


Hit and Run

by Khaelis



Category: Broadchurch, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Banter, Blood and Injury, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2018-12-07 00:25:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khaelis/pseuds/Khaelis
Summary: Alec Hardy has to go to London to get help for a case, and he meets that young woman under the most tragic circumstances.He may have to extend his stay - but he finds he doesn't mind as much as he'd expected to, especially when that means he gets to solve the case that might change his life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Teninch fiction, I finally did it!  
> An Alec/Rose story that should be rather short, but full of angst and fluff!
> 
> Mentions of blood and physical injuries, mind the rating and the tags!
> 
> This first chapter is rather short, but the next ones should be a bit longer.  
> I'm just testing the waters with this chapter, so please let me know what you think (negative and positive reviews are both greatly appreciated)!
> 
> Thanks for reading!

* * *

 

 

As soon as he pulled himself out of the black taxi and stepped into the crowded, cacophonous street, Alec Hardy remembered how much he hated London. Too many people, too much noise. He had insisted to come here on his own just to pick up some documents from the high court that couldn't be sent to the Broadchurch police station – too many sensitive information they couldn't risk losing along the way. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to stay in this Hell hole for too long, as he was planning to go on his appointment, fetch the files and go back to the little town he loathed just less enough than the capital city to make it bearably attractive. He much preferred the horrid smiley faces and the almost unbreathable salty air brought by the sea waves breaking against the cliff to the hundreds of disrespectful and obnoxious people rushing through the street in an atmosphere heavy with pollution that made his throat itch.

 

He lifted his eyes up to the sky with an annoyed grunt when someone bumped into his arm and made him loose his grip on the handle of the small suitcase he was holding. The suitcase fell on the pavement with a dull thump and he felt compelled to run a hand over his face in lassitude, trying to wipe the moroseness from his features before it could turn into a grimace of anger. A weary sigh left his mouth as he bent down to pick it up, but instead of closing around its handle, his fingers landed on top of a small, warm hand, so warm that his hand flew back as if he'd be burnt by this innocent contact. His eyes shot up and he fell face to face with a young woman, her sheepish grin and the bright honey orbs that were offering a shy look of apology framed by some blond locks that had escaped their lose bun.

 

 

"I'm so sorry," she shrugged as she handed him his suitcase with a smile that transpired uneasiness. "I was on the phone and I, well, I wasn't looking. I hope there wasn't anything fragile in there. I... Sorry, I'm late, I should go."

 

 

He didn't know if it was because she was intimidated or nervous – maybe both – but she made quick job of hooking the handle of his suitcase around his fingers and giving him one last smile before she started to walk away. Well, at least she'd had the decency to apologize, he thought. He watched for a few seconds how her quick strides made her hair whip at her slender neck, made the leather bag she was holding dangle back and forth, made the lapels of her much too large denim jacket flap on the side of her thighs. If she hadn't bumped into him, he never would have noticed her. She would have been just another irrelevant pinhead lost in a dull and chaotic street. But now he knew the colour of her eyes, the plump of her lips, the melody of her voice, and he thought it nice to know that not all of those ghosts floating around him were idiotic and heartless sheep that only cared about themselves. He didn't know her name, but he knew she existed. It was enough.

 

With a resolved, sharp intake of breath, he followed in her steps, deciding that the faster he'd get to the high court, the sooner he'd be back in the hutch he called home. It almost brought a smirk to his lips when he noticed he was gaining ground over her despite the quick rhythm of her steps – he had to thank his legs longer than stilts for that. He watched as she stopped at the crossing and bit his tongue to keep a snicker in as she kept shuffling on her feet, her fingers anxiously fiddling with the straps of her bag as she waited for the pedestrian light to turn green. She really must have been late, he reckoned. Just as he was about to turn right, never to see her again, the little light flashed green and he saw her start to walk again.

 

A loud crashing sound filled the street, tires screeched, screams echoed throughout the air. The suddenly deafening silence was only broken by the sound of the engines of the bus that sped down the road and disappeared at the corner on the end of the street. It took him some time to understand what had happened, his weak heart hammering against his ribcage and his ears ringing with the seconds old memory of that horrible sound. His feet began to move before he could think about it, taking a few shy steps in the direction of all the people gathering themselves into a tight and murmuring crowd, those steps turning into long strides when his pace picked up, breaking into a fast run when the realization of what had happened finally found its way through the mist of his shock.

 

 

"Police, move!" he barked as he fended off the mass of people with strong shoves of his shoulder.

 

 

He fought his way through, stepping on some feet, pushing people away with large movements of his arms when they refused to stand aside, and he eventually emerged into the empty space that surrounded her. That woman. Her body. Her bright blue leather bag stained with black, dirty traces of huge tires, flattened on the road. A broken glasses case. A rumpled book. A worn wallet made of a simple pink fabric, small flower-shaped pearls sewed on its surface. A steadily growing puddle of blood that flooded the tiny crevasses that chiselled the hard concrete of the road.

 

 

"Everybody stand back," he snapped his order, loud enough for every curious spectators to hear. "And call 999."

 

 

His suitcase was abandoned against the nearest street lamp and he quickly went to her, crouching next to her rather than falling to his knees – he didn't want to smear her blood on the only pair of trousers he had. His brow knitted into a hard frown and he closed his eyes for a moment. He had already seen people with this kind of injuries, but never before had he had the misfortune to have met them _before_ they got injured. To see her face covered in still hot and liquid blood, the abominable blue and green shades of the bruises tinting her skin, the red bubble that popped at the corner of her mouth when a feeble groan left her lips... It wasn't easy. Not when he knew how pretty her face was, how sublime her eyes were, how pleasing to his ears her voice was.

 

 

"It's going to be alright," he told her softly, in the most reassuring tone he could muster. "Help is on its way. Hold on, yeah?"

 

 

He winced when a faint whimper of pain reached his ears. He wasn't quite sure he believed his own lie – because even is she survived, the days and weeks to come would definitely be atrocious and she most certainly wouldn't be alright. But he had to give her hope, he had to be there for her because in that moment no one else could. He didn't know why, but it was the first time he didn't feel like he was doing this because it was part of his job to come to the rescue of victims. He was doing it because he cared. There had been something unfathomable about her. Maybe it was her smile, maybe it was her eyes, maybe it was the way she had talked to him. But he felt like this young woman deserved to be taken care of, and it was too rare an occurrence to even consider not doing his best to help her.

 

His fingers found hers and he managed to brush a soothing thumb against the soft skin on the back of her hand despite his usual reticence to be physically close to people. He was surprised by the strength with which she squeezed his fingers between hers and it almost brought a smile to his lips to realize that she was of the strong kind. Almost. The corners of his mouth barely had the time to quiver that her whole body started to convulse, hips rising from the hard concrete and nails digging so hard into his skin that it broke. A rough cough had her spit droplets of blood onto the collar of white shirt and his chin that he was quick to wipe with his sleeve, but the panic that flooded his veins made it hard to mind. He cupped her face in his palms, dropped to his knees – sod the smears – and tried to make her open her eyes.

 

 

"Look at me," he urged, running the pad of his thumbs over her cheekbones. "Stay with me. Come on, look at me."

 

 

But her eyes remained desperately closed as her body went limp, the weight of her head lolling in his hands with so little resistance that his heart missed a beat. This wasn't good. He pressed two fingers on the side of her neck to feel for her pulse. None.

 

 

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, sweat slowly turning into pearls that rolled down his brow and temples.

 

 

The only flicker of relief he felt ignite in the pit of his stomach was when he heard the sirens of the ambulance in the distance. He brought his hands to the centre of her ribcage and started to massage her chest, not even sure that this was a good idea given that a few of her ribs were probably broken. The minute it took the doctors to join him seemed to last forever, and it took him even longer to realize one of them was trying to make him stop with a firm hand on his shoulder.

 

 

"We'll take it from here," a middle-aged woman holding a heartbeat monitor told him as he awkwardly scrambled to his feet to give them some space.

 

 

He looked at them getting busy around her body, trying to breathe some life into it, spur her heart to beat again, stop the blood from flooding from the wound that sliced her forehead. He didn't know how to feel. The noise made his head pulse with painful throbs, the sight of her bruised and broken body made bitter bile rise in his throat, the look he threw at the crowd still gathered on the pavement, phones in hand and excited murmurs that created an awful buzzing sound, made his stomach churn.

 

He stayed, just to wait for the local police that would lead the investigation. Just to make sure everything would be done to find the driver. His feet took him to the small pink wallet that was still lying on the ground and he bent down to pick it up. He opened it with a deft flick of his wrist and fell face to face with the young woman again. Rose Tyler. Only twenty-four. And smiling so much on that photograph that he thought her cheeks might have hurt for a whole week after it'd been taken. He put the wallet away in his pocket and threw a disgusted stare at the crowd that dissolved with a unanimous sigh of disappointment when her body was taken out of sight, inside the ambulance. He hated those people, he hated that atmosphere, he hated that life. Alec really did hate London.

 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've managed to write this today!  
> I take back what I said before about the length of the chapters: I'll make them around 1500-2000 words each so that I can make more regular updates (unlike Getting Through which currently stands at +4500 words/chapter).
> 
> Not much Hardy/Rose for now, you'll probably have to wait until chapter 4 for that. But I really want to give something with a bit of plot - which I do hope you'll like.
> 
> Please, tell me what you think, and thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who already have commented/kudoed this story! I love all of you!

* * *

 

 

 

"What happened exactly?"

 

 

Alec stared at the young policeman who had readied his small notepad, pen hovering over the blank page to write down anything relevant he might have to say. It was somehow getting on his nerves that this young man, who was probably not over twenty-two, was the only one that had been dispatched to gather the testimony of the few witnesses that had lingered around long enough after the incident to be ordered to stay. He would have been fine with it if this was only about some reckless driving and some damage done to public property, but it wasn't. A woman had been hit, so violently that her body had been found laying a dozen meters away from the impact zone – the crossing that was now splattered with droplets of blood – and had almost died on spot, was even on the brink of death if the anxious and hurried blabbering from the doctors were any clues. She deserved better. She deserved to know who had almost taken her life, and maybe had, if by any unfortunate strike of fate she wouldn't pull through.

 

 

"Where's your chief inspector? Your superintendent?" Alec asked, trying hard not to sound angry – after all, this young man was only doing what he'd been told to do.

"Um, sick leave," he shrugged with an uneasy shuffle on his feet. "I haven't completed my training yet, but the sergeant thought this was an easy case and I could handle it on my own."

"Right," he nodded with a sniff that drew a grimace of disgust over his already hard features. "Tell your sergeant DI Hardy leads the investigation from now on. I'm taking the reins from you, you're dismissed."

"Can I see your credentials?" the young man enquired, obviously quite reticent to hand out the case to someone he didn't know.

 

 

Alec made a sound that stood between a sigh and a growl of despair, reaching inside his pocket to take out the small black leather wallet that held his police identification card, and he waved it under the young officer's nose.

 

 

"See, that's me," Alec said with a smile so fake he felt his cheeks ache in protest. "I'll have my DS send out the paperwork to the London police district as soon as I can. Anyone says something to you, tell them to call me. Now leave."

 

 

The young man seem to hesitate for just a second, before Alec threw one of his darkest looks that was made even more threatening by his usually grumpy and grim face and he made the sensible decision to just sigh and walk away. Alec ran a hand over his face in a vain attempt to bring back a neutral expression, but he somehow knew from the frown that knitted his brow and the way his lips were pinched that he was failing quite miserably – probably because his eyes fell on the small group of tweeting people that were gathered in a corner of the street, awaiting to be interrogated. He mentally prepared himself to be as little rude as possible to them and walked towards the group, his wallet still in hand in case they appeared not to be prone to believe him either.

 

 

"Listen up, people!" he barked loudly to get their attention. "What can you tell me about what happened?"

"It was a double-decker."

"The plate started with LT. No, LK."

"That woman just flew into the air like bloody Superman."

"It was going so fast, I couldn't see anything."

"My ears still hurt from the noise."

"Can I go? I have an appointment in ten minutes."

 

 

At this point, Alec was already fuming, unable to believe who should have been responsible adults were cackling nonsense and complaining that they had other things to do, more important than helping him with a case that would bring a broken victim some closure, it seemed. _Selfish bastards, the bunch of you_ , he thought hard enough to assume he might have said it aloud. He gritted his teeth for two long minutes, his fingers clenching into a tight fist on his side and around his wallet, waiting for the hubbub to die down. When it didn't, he took a deep breath and decided to take matters in his own hand.

 

 

"Shut the Hell up!" he shouted, loud enough for half the street to become so silent the soft breath of the wind was the only sound that could be heard. "Now, let me rephrase this. Can you tell me anything _relevant_ about what happened? The full plate? The number of the line or the destination? What the driver looked like?"

 

 

The whole of them remained tongue-tied, apart from a few whispers that answered him with negatives, and this time he couldn't help the grunt of frustration that flew past his lips.

 

 

"Get out of my sight," he grumbled after a few seconds, when it became clear that he wouldn't get any information from that useless lot.

 

 

Alec watched with a heavy look of contempt the crowd disperse in the street, some running to get on time to their oh so urgent appointments, some others strolling off in no particular direction. He understood that there wasn't much they could have told him, but it was their behaviours that made him want to punch them in the face and knock some sense of responsibility into their thick heads. Those people didn't want to talk because they didn't care, and this was even worse than small town people who didn't want to talk for fear of getting a bad reputation, or simply because they didn't want to accuse someone they knew. He hated people in general, but he hated that kind more than anything else. It didn't matter. It was a rather simple case, it was even possible that the bus had already been stopped further along its wild course and that the driver had already been arrested – if he hadn't, Alec was quite sure finding him would take a few days, a week at most. But he liked simple every now and then, especially when that meant he could offer a young woman some justice. He might have been a grumpy old detective, but he still liked his job. He hadn't signed up for this on a whim, and even when a case made him want to quit, he never did. That was his life and he wouldn't change it for anything in this sad world.

 

He went back to the suitcase that was still laying against the street lamp and picked it up, doing his best not to look at the pool of blood that was drying drown slowly on the road, its bright red colour turning dark brown. He didn't want to be reminded that a woman was dying in a nearby hospital, much preferring to focus on the task at hand. He took out his phone from his inside pocket and turned it on, sighing when the screen flashed with notifications of missed calls and a few messages.

 

 

"Miller," he began when the DS on the other side of the country picked up his call.

"Where the hell have you been?" was the only greeting he received from her, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"London. There's been an accident. A woman's been hit by a bus, reckless driving. I'm staying here for a few days, they put me in charge," he lied, even knowing that Ellie would not believe a word of it. "Send the London police district form 3-B on my behalf, would you?"

"And what about our case?" she huffed over the line – and he could totally picture her pacing in the office with a murderous look on her face. "We're _that_ close to get our culprit behind bars and you decide a bloody hit and run is worth delaying the result of a year long investigation?"

"Exactly," he simply stated, starting to head towards the nearest taxi line. "What's a few days more, eh? I just feel like I need to take this case.”

“Oh don’t give me that crap about intuition, _Sir_ ,” she admonished. “You want that case, fine, I can’t do anything about your childish heroic fantasies. Just don’t go offending me and pretend I don’t know what this is about."

"Shut it, Miller," he growled into the phone as he climbed into a taxi and gave the driver the directions. "I'll be back by Thursday next week. Just work on the McMillan case while I'm here, and don't forget the form."

"I've already sent your stupid form," she sighed, knowing he wouldn't change his mind and give up on his new case. "I'll just ring you if I need anything. Enjoy your case, Sir."

 

 

Alec didn't even make sure she had hung up before he pressed the red button with his thumb and put his phone back into his pocket – because it was just how the pair of them worked. He watched the streets run behind the window, their dull buildings, their dumb people walking on the pavement, unaware that a tragic accident had taken place a few streets away. That woman. Out of all the population that roamed around London, it was just one life. One tiny life in thousands, millions. He still didn't know if it was luck or misfortune that he'd met her. Maybe if she hadn't bumped into him and taken the time to pick up his suitcase and apologize, this wouldn't have happened and she'd be fine. But then he thought about her eyes and her smile, and with a pang of guilt in his stomach, he realized that he was glad she had. He had no idea why, because she most definitely wasn't his style. Too young, too girlish, too exuberant – he would never feel secure around someone who dared to talk to perfect strangers with so much ease. But somehow, that one Rose Tyler had managed to pique his interest within a few seconds when no other woman had for the past few years.

 

Alec handed the taxi driver a twenty pound bill and stepped out of the vehicle, dragging his small suitcase behind him. He looked up at the large building that stood at the corner of the street and, with a sigh, he went up the flight of stairs that led to the glass swinging doors. His investigation would start here.

 

* * *

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long, but I've been so busy for the past week and a half that I could only start writing again today!
> 
> This chapter mostly serves as a transition that will lead to the proper investigation, so it's mostly dialogues and bits and pieces of information that will allow the story to continue (yes, I'd make a pretty terrible seller).
> 
> I still hope you'll like it, and there should be a bit of Alec x Rose in the next chapter!
> 
> Please let me know what you think, reviews and criticism are always appreciated!

* * *

 

 

More hubbub, more people. When he stepped into the large hall buzzing with whispers, shouts, ringing phones and announcements made through the speakers, Alec wondered if taking that case had been a good idea. He narrowly avoided being shoved away by a drunk man that seemed unable to walk straight and put a strong hand on his shoulder to stop him from wobbling among the mass of people eyeing him with either worry or disgust. He led him to one of the few benches with an unoccupied seat – probably because on the next was a weird woman that smelled of cats and quite possibly some illicit substance, softly singing a Christian hymn. A very improbable combination, but then again, It wasn’t the strangest of things, or persons, he’d witnessed over the course of his long career.

 

 

“Just sit there and wait ‘til someone calls your name,” Alec ordered with a stern look, forcing him to plop down on the plastic seat with a weak push on his shoulder.

 

 

The man, who was already starting to doze off, didn’t protest and Alec turned back on his feet, pretending not to see the weird woman who wanted to give him some bright pink flyer. He headed for the reception desk and flashed his credentials to the seemingly bored agent sitting behind the computer screen.

 

 

“DI Hardy, I’m here about the hit and run that happened twenty minutes ago,” he said without any preamble.

“If you want to make a statement, you’ll have to wait,” the young agent shrugged without even looking at him, still typing on her computer.

 

 

Alec stared at the woman for a few seconds, somehow expecting her to eventually meet his frozen stare and realize that he was most definitely not there to make a simple statement, but her eyes remained firmly glued to the screen. He tapped his fingers on the desk to get her attention, but when no reaction came he decided that slamming his palm down with a loud bang would have the desired effect.

 

 

“I said, I am Detective Inspector Hardy and I am in charge of the investigation concerning the hit and run that took place twenty minutes ago,” he spoke with both annoyance and anger in his voice. “So get me someone, right now.”

 

 

The agent’s only answer was a sigh, but she still picked up her phone and dialled a number with so much laziness that Alec found it hard not to rip the phone from her hand and speed things up. He watched with pinched lips as she conversed over the line in such a way that it made him impossible to hear what she was saying – which made his already tried patience wear even thinner and caused him to shuffle impatiently on his feet.

 

 

“Sergeant Barnes is on his way,” the woman eventually told him as she hung up, offering a fake smile before going back to her screen.

“Wasn’t that hard, was it?” he mumbled under his breath, putting his leather wallet back in his pocket.

 

 

Two minutes later, a tall and muscular man that must have been in his late fifties strode towards him and extended a hand that Alec was reticent to shake, but not enough to risk another one of his usual social blunders that could cause him to lose the trust and sympathy of the only man around who could help him with his case.

 

 

“DI Hardy?” he greeted with a firm handshake that left Alec’s fingers tingly for a moment. “Barnes, I’ll be your referent during your stay with us. Not that you’ll need me much, but you know how they can get with protocols and shit. I’ve received the form that puts you in charge, it’s already signed and sent to the higher authorities. May I ask, what made you take such a boring case? Surely you have more exciting things to do than a trivial hit and run, right?”

 

 

Alec found that he rather liked that man – someone blunt and frank, who didn’t mind not complying with the rules and wouldn’t waste his time – and he followed his steps through the maze of corridors until they reached a large double door that opened on a large open space where a few other agents were working.

 

 

 

“I was there,” Alec answered with a disinterested shrug, putting down his suitcase on an unoccupied chair. “And I know the woman who’s been hit. Sort of.”

“And you wanted some time off, got you right there, mate,” Barnes smiled, sagging down on his desk chair and taking a large gulp of coffee from his mug. “Won’t be that easy, though. I’ve got the bus driver next door, you can start there.”

“And the bus?” Alec asked as he absent-mindedly tightened his tie around his neck and straightened his sleeves with quick pulls on the cuffs – a habit that had never left him ever since his first interrogation.

“Abandoned under a bridge. No CCTV in the area, but our guy had the decency to leave some clues for you. They should be waiting here by tomorrow morning.”

“Right. And… Any news about the girl?” he felt compelled to ask when the image of bumpers covered in blood and screeching tires imposed itself in front of his eyes.

“Critical condition,” Barnes shrugged, running a finger on the edge of his mug as if he didn’t want to talk about it. “We found a gym club card in her bag. Rose Tyler. Twenty-four years old. That could have been my daughter, you know? Kinda changes the way you see things. To all the others this isn’t even a real case. But I’m glad you think it matters, because that girl deserves some justice.”

“I think she does, too,” Alec simply nodded, not wanting to dwell on the reasons why he had chosen to take this particular case. “Have you contacted the family?”

“No, no close family we can call,” he sighed with a sad frown. “Her father died years ago and her mother is on vacation in another country. She’s on her own for now.”

“I’ll make a quick detour by the hospital when I’m done with the interrogation. Who’s coming with me?”

“No one, that poor bloke isn’t a suspect, no need for ceremonies. Just make sure you file his complaint and statement before you leave. There’s another case I need to work on, but if you need anything, just ring me, yeah?”

“Will do.”

 

 

Alec gave the sergeant a quick hand gesture as a goodbye and headed towards the room where the bus driver was waiting for him. The door opened on short bald man whose shoulders were shaking, as if he were sobbing in silence. Alec cleared his throat to announce his presence and give him enough time to regain his composure before he sat in front of him, crossing his long fingers above the notepad that was lying on the small table. The driver still had tears in his eyes, and the large patch of gauze that was covering most of his forehead had Alec sigh discreetly in what he was surprised to find out was actually compassion. Well, at least the bloke wasn’t on the brink of death, contrary to his poor victim, he thought.

 

 

“DI Hardy,” he introduced himself, searching for his fleeting gaze.

“Mark Coates,” the man answered with a short nod and a barely concealed sniff.

“So, Mark, what can you tell me about what happened to you, eh?”

“Nothing more than I’ve already told that other policeman,” he shrugged, rubbing his fingers as if he was feeling nervous.

“Can you tell me again? I just need this on record,” Alec explained as he pointed towards the small recording device. “You’re a key witness, your statement will be used during the trial when we find our bloke.”

“Alright, yeah,” he offered a small, quivering smile, although his shoulders remained desperately tensed. “Sorry, I’ve just never had to deal with the police before. Makes me a bit uneasy, you know?”

“It’s okay, I understand,” he nodded, drawing on what little was left of his patience not to sound too demanding. “Take your time and just explain what happened.”

“Well, I was on my afternoon shift, line 390 to Archway. I was just starting and the bus was still empty. Around 14.35pm I stopped at a red light and that bloke just knocked on the door with a gun. Never seen one of those before, so I got pretty scared, you know? I opened the door, ‘cause I thought he’d shoot me if I tried to get away. He just grabbed me by the collar and threw me out. That’s how I got this,” he explained as he lifted his eyes towards the gauze on his forehead. “Bad fall. Then he just took off with my bus. Called you right away, but I guess not fast enough to stop him on time. Heard a woman got hit and died.”

“She’s not dead,” Alec informed him, the _yet_ he wanted to say as he replayed the image of her blood-stained body getting stuck on the tip of his tongue before it slipped out. “Anything you can tell me about the man?”

“Well, he was tall, as tall as you I’d say,” he said with a frown of concentration. “Strong enough to throw me out of the bus like a bloody rag doll. Blue eyes and brown hair, but that’s all I can tell you. He was wearing a scarf that covered most of his face. Black jacket and black jeans. I’m afraid that’s it. Not of any help, is it?”

“It is. Any detail you might have missed? Even something you might not find relevant, anything at all?”

“Um, not really. His phone rang just as I was being thrown out. I think there was a smell of fish. Fried fish, you know, a bit like in those chippies. I’m sorry, I can’t be sure, it all happened so fast. I can’t think of anything else.”

“It’s alright, this is good,” Alec tried to reassure him as he clicked the recording device off. “You’ll have to send me a map with the locations of the bus depot, where you got assaulted and the road you took to get there, you think you can do that?”

“Yeah, sure,” the bald man agreed, quickly getting back to his feet as if he wanted to leave as fast as possible. “I’ll send it tonight. Can I, um, go now?”

“’Course. Thanks for your help. I’ll call you if there’s anything more we need from you.”

 

* * *

 

The bus driver nodded and Alec reclined in his chair with a sigh and fingers running through his hair as the man disappeared through the door. Alec had nothing but the colour of the culprit’s eyes and a smell of fish, which he was quite sure wouldn’t be of much help. Well, he clearly had nothing. He’d have to work from the CCTV videos and the clues he would get the morning later, but in that moment there was nothing he could do to start his investigation. He took a look at his watch, then his phone, then his watch again, and his decision was taken. No one needed him, not even Miller – whom he’d been sure would have found a way to nag him throughout the day and blame him for not coming back to close their current case – and he still had enough time before the hospital would be closed to visitors.

 

Alec went back to the open space and dropped the small cassette on the Sergeant’s desk before he signed the form that had been left for him. He picked up his small suitcase, patted his pocket to make sure his wallet was still inside ad headed towards the exit. It was time he paid Rose Tyler a visit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the awfully long delay guys, but the last few weeks have been crazy!
> 
> Here is another chapter, and we're slowly heading to more Alec/Rose - though with this kind of situation it's rather complicated to make the relationship happen quickly, unfortunately!
> 
> I hope you'll like it, please let me know what you think!

* * *

 

 

Alec swiftly walked to the reception, his polished leather shoes clicking on the pale blue linoleum, the paper around the flowers he’d bought fluttering with a slight ruffle as his arm swung on his side. It was the first time in years since he’d bought any flowers, and even more since he’d bought some because he really wanted to. On the few last occurrences, it had only been a way to persuade himself that his marriage wasn’t a sinking ship, a pretext that lacked any true feelings, a vain attempt at pretending that he was in a very normal and very happy relationship. But on that day, when he’d walked past the florist, he’d felt the desire to do it. Not out of unhealthy habit, but rather out of compassion - and the gesture had felt surprisingly natural.

 

He put them down on the desk and waited for the nurse to acknowledge his presence, making the most the situation to discreetly pull on the waistband of the black jeans he’d just acquired to replace the ruined suit trousers he’d dropped off at the dry-cleaning shop - he’d aimed for a size too small, not used to such clothing. The nurse looked up to him with a smile and his hands immediately flew to reach inside his pocket and take out his wallet. He cleared his throat and struggled not to succumb to the sudden urge he felt to blush. Alec Hardy did not blush. Never. Especially not in shame.

  
  


“Hiya, I’m here to see Rose Tyler,” he announced with a flash of his badge. “She must have been brought in earlier this afternoon.”

  
  
  


The nurse only nodded and went back to her computer, typed a few words and clicked a few times.

  
  


“I’ll call Doctor Edwards,” she told him, obviously not realizing that he was miles away from caring. “Wait here, please.”

  
  


Alec watched as she picked up her phone and dialed a number, tapping the tip of her pencil repeatedly on the edge of her desk. Followed a short conversation that he didn’t pay any attention to, too busy trying to unbuckle his belt and loosen it without her noticing. He regretted not having brought any more spare change, and a quiet, bitter chuckle echoed in his throat when his ex-wife’s words sung in his head,  _ you never know what can happen, always pack more than what you need _ . Wise words, for an otherwise unwise woman - for lack of any other words that wouldn’t make him blaspheme or lose his temper.

  
  


“He’ll be right with you,” the nurse smiled, drawing him out of his reverie.

  
  


He thanked her with a nod, and after two minutes, a tall man that Alec couldn’t help notice was much younger than him appeared through one of the corridors.

  
  


“Detective Hardy,” he saluted with a quick shake of hands. “Glad you came.”

“How is she?” Alec asked, following the doctor who was already off in another direction.

“Better than you might think,” he said with a shrug as he buried his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat. “Her injuries are mostly physical, which is good. Some of them are… Not necessarily life-threatening, but serious enough for us to keep a very close look. Four broken ribs, and one of them has punctured her lung. A few broken cervical vertebrae, and a broken leg. One of her wrist bone has basically been reduced to crumbs and she might never be able to use her right hand again. She also suffers from a mild concussion and severe bruises. Given the nature of the accident, those injuries are pretty normal, and might I say, pretty superficial. She’s lucky to be alive.”

“Her heart stopped after the accident, is it…”

“No, it didn’t,” the doctor shook his head, turning left in a deserted corridor. “If it did, she’d be dead, or in intensive care waiting to die. Tachycardia, a weakened pulse, or you putting your fingers on the wrong spot, there are lots of reasons why you might have thought it had. But it didn’t.”

  
  


At those words, Alec felt a nervous tug at his guts when he realized what they implied.

  
  


“Did I make her lung worse?” he felt compelled to ask, trying to keep a neutral voice despite his anxiousness. “You know, doing that cardiac massage.”

“Don’t beat yourself up,” doctor Edwards offered with a small smile as they stopped in front of a pristine white door. “Easy mistake, especially in a stressful situation. Everything’s under control, don’t worry about that. She might even be awake right now, she’s been off anaesthesia for a few hours already. Would half an hour with her be enough?”

“Yeah, I just came to know how she was doing anyway,” Alec nodded, unable to shrug off the grim feeling that he’d managed to hurt that poor woman even more instead of helping her. 

“Okay. Just… Make sure you catch that bastard for me, yeah?”

“Will do,” Alec nodded, already putting his hand on the handle. “Thanks.”

  
  


Alec waited until the doctor was gone before her pushed the door handle down and took a shy step inside the brightly lit bedroom. His stomach churned when he looked at her, and he wished the doctor had insisted a bit more on the  _ severe bruises _ part of the long list of injuries. His brow knitted on its own as he stared at the few patches of skin peeking through the otherwise fully covered body - bandages, casts, splints, it looked like she was drowning in that giant mass of white. It greatly contrasted with the angry multicoloured bruises that dotted the only uncovered parts of her skin, and they were the only thing he could focus on for a long minute, accompanied by the rhythmic beat of the heart rate monitor beeping too loudly in the silent room. It was when a longer, louder wheez came out of her mouth that he eventually spurred his feet to move, getting closer to her despite his hesitation. 

  
  


“Hello,” he greeted softly with a forced smile, putting his bunch of flower down on the table. “How are you feeling?”

  
  


Alec lifted his eyes to the ceiling with a mute curse and a mental slap at his stupid question - even though he didn’t know if she could actually hear him at all, and cleared his throat as he carefully sat down on the very edge of the bed.

  
  


“I’m Detective Alec Hardy,” he said, watching out for any sign that she was aware of his presence. “You know, the bloke you bumped into. I was there when… Well, it happened. You scared us a bit, Miss Tyler.”

  
  


A sigh left his lips when he realized he had no idea what to say. He had always been terrible at small talk, and he somehow felt ridiculous to try with a woman who wasn’t even awake. He rubbed his face with his palm and reached inside his pocket to take out the small pink wallet he’d picked up at the accident scene. He turned it in his hands, a small, sad smile tugging at his lips when his thumb brushed against the motif sewn into the fabric - the face of a cartoonish cat with a blue bow attached on the top of its head. Somehow, it made him realize just how young she was, how innocent, and how she didn’t deserve any of this.

  
  


“I’ll just leave it there for you,” he spoke just loud enough to cover the beeping sound of the machines. “And I brought you flowers. I don’t even know what these are, but I think you’ll like them. At least they’re not roses. Would have been preposterous, don’t you think? I wouldn’t have been the first one, I suppose.”

  
  


His head shot up when he heard what much resembled a chuckle coming out of her mouth. He looked at her face for long seconds, until her eyelids fluttered half-open and a pair of bright honey eyes looked back at him. A breath of relief flew past his lips as he shifted a bit on the bed to get closer to her, to make sure he’d hear her if she could speak. His fingers unconsciously went to brush a strand of blond hair away from the thick bandage on her forehead and the pad of his thumb landed in a feathery touch on her cheekbone.

  
  


“Hi,” he whispered, readjusting the nasal cannula that was going astray on her cheek because of a missing sticker. “Already back with us, eh?”

  
  


He was answered with a weak blink, which he believed was a gesture of confirmation until he noticed the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes and rolling down her temples. A soft whimper managed to make his heart miss a beat, and his hand quickly found hers, as if he believed it might help her overcome the pain she seemed to be feeling. Her fingers wrapped around his and clenched down hard, and he winced when his skin broke under her sharp nails. 

  
  


“It’s gonna be alright, Rose,” he tried  to reassure her as he looked around and spotted the item he was searching for. “Just bear with me, yeah?”

  
  


Alec fumbled with the cable that was hanging on the side of the mattress and pressed the red button on the small plastic box repeatedly. He kept throwing looks at the door, his foot impatiently tapping on the floor, cursing every few seconds, murmuring soft words of comfort along with careful brushes of his fingertips on her cheeks even more often. After what seemed to be an eternity, he finally heard the door opened and a nurse walked in, much too slowly to his taste.

  
  


“More morphine,” he ordered without any preamble, watching as the nurse went to perfusion bag and fiddled with it to increase the dose.

“I can’t give her more than that,” the nurse explained with a shrug of apology. “She’ll be in pain for quite some time, I’m afraid. You’ll have to be patient.”

“Just make sure she has all she can have next time,” he grumbled despite the relief he felt when the grip of Rose’s hand loosened around his. “This isn’t my bloody job.”

  
  


The nurse offered a curt nod and went away faster than she’d come in, and Alec couldn’t help the curse that fell from his mouth in a mutter. He knew it was rude and unfair, but his nerves were getting the better of him.

  
  


“Thanks.”

  
  


His eyes widened when his ears picked up the barely audible word, a faint breath that carried the weak sound of her broken voice, and a shy grin made the corner of his lips twitch.

  
  


“Happy to help,” he said softly, smoothing down the creases on the sheet that covered half her body. “I don’t know if you heard it earlier, but I’m Alec. I’m a detective, and I’ll be working on your case. I’ll find who did this to you. I know it won’t change what happened to you but… It might make you feel a bit better, yeah?”

  
  


He noticed the way her face almost imperceptibly tilted down despite the tight lock of the brace around her neck, and he answered with a light squeeze on her hand. Her eyes were already closing again, though, and he judged that it was time to go.  No use to linger around when there was still so much to do.

 

“I’ll just let you sleep, now,” he whispered with a brush of his thumb on the back of her hand. “I’ll come back later, okay? You don’t have to worry about anything. It’s going to be alright. You’ll be alright.”

  
  
  


* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> New chapter for this little Teninch story!
> 
> I won't lie, I want to close the case as fast as I can so I can move to developping the fluff (because, let's all be honest, we're all here for the Alec x Rose, aren't we?)
> 
> So, one more chapter after this one, and I'm hoping to jump in the fluff train (there might be a few wagons of angst, but that's just the way I do things)!
> 
> I hope you'll like it, please let me know what you think! :)

* * *

 

 

Alec leaned over the desk with a tired sigh, staring at the few items sitting before him. He picked up a small plastic bag containing a rolled cigarette butt and eyed it critically. No brand, of course, and he wondered why the scientific team had judged necessary to give him that. It wasn’t a clue, merely a piece of rubbish they could have thrown away. Well, at least he knew the culprit smoked - if the butt belonged to him at all.

 

Then, there was a copy of a footprint that had been found on the bus’ floor. A muddy imprint, size eight, probably combat boots, or at the very least a rather large shoe. If he managed to find suspects, that could come in handy.

 

There also was a large piece of greasy paper that had once been rolled around a fish and chips given the smell that attacked his nostrils when he pulled on the zip of the plastic bag. That was his best clue so far. Jeanine’s Fish and Chips. If he was lucky, the culprit could live near that shop, which would considerably reduce the area of investigation.

 

Three clues. Well, two and a half. He’d worked with less than that on much worse cases. And those items were not the only he could use to go after a suspect.

 

Alec pushed himself away from the desk and removed his gloves, the sound of latex snapping ringing in his ears in this too silent office. He went to the large table at the center of the room, on which a large map of the district was splayed - courtesy of the bus driver, who had kept his promise to send a map with all the relevant locations. A red pin was already sticking up from the place the driver had been assaulted, and another one pinpointing the street where the double-decker had been found, a thin woollen string joining the two. It seemed that the culprit had driven in a straight line, and not on a long distance - about a mile and half, if his estimations were correct. He had given up on his theft rather quickly after hitting his victim, which made Alec think that he’d been scared, and quite possibly inexperienced, or that he’d deemed the bus unworthy of risking being caught by the police, in which case that would make him a very experienced thief, or at the very least intelligent.

 

He’d chose the first option without hesitation if he didn’t have the duty to take every possibility into account. Stealing a double-decker was stupid. A big red bus, a line number, a GPS tracker, a low speed and a drivability that would make piloting a submarine in a pond look easy. There were just too many reasons why no one graced with some common sense would even think about stealing such a vehicle. So, except if a very experienced thief had decided to steal one of them for reasons yet unknown, that crime had most likely been committed by a lunatic or a young person - maybe both.

 

Alec moved to the computer and sat in front of the old cathodic screen. Two videos files were on display, and he clicked on the one he knew wouldn’t set his heartbeat spiralling out of control first. He watched the film all while taking out a small notepad and a pen from inside his pocket, just in case there would be anything relevant to take note of. The overall quality was awful, a pixelated black and white image that barely allowed him to recognize the bus driver. One frame per second, which made it look like everything was happening in slow motion. He shifted on his desk chair when what he wanted to see finally popped on the screen. A tall person appeared on the screen, his back covered in what seemed to be a black leather jacket. A second later, the image froze momentarily on the bus driver being pulled away from the steering wheel, and the next frame showed a blurry profile of the thief. The driver hadn’t lied when he’d said the culprit was wearing a scarf - indeed, half his face was buried into a dark mass which made it impossible to make out his features. Alec thought there would be nothing more to see on that video, but, just in case, he fast-forwarded it to the end.

  
  


“Well, fuck me,” he whispered under his breath as he suddenly pressed the pause button and rewinded back a few frames.

  
  


He perched his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose and squinted hard, as if that would help clear up the image. Even in low resolution, he couldn’t miss it. He watched as an arm split the screen in two and engaged into a duel with the thief - Alec had overlooked the fact that there might have been passengers in the double-decker, but obviously there had been, and a brave one to top it all. The bravery lasted until the thief aimed his gun at the valiant passenger, whom retreated out of the frame under the threat of the weapon. But it didn’t matter. Alec didn’t who whose hand that was, but he thanked them under his breath nonetheless. The hand had grabbed an end of the thief’s scarf during their bout, just enough for it to drop down to his chin, and a glorious image of the culprit’s face filled the screen. Well, that was unhoped-for.

 

A smug grin covered his face as he took in that face and realized that he’d been right. That bloke was young, in his very early twenties, maybe even less, and judging by the shine on his forehead and the grimace contorting his features, he didn’t seem too comfortable doing what he was doing. Alec also spotted the exact moment when he had hit Rose. The eyebrows shooting up in surprise and fear, the vain attempt at turning the wheel to deviate his course - the bus was much too heavy and massive to steer in the right direction quick enough. He definitely hadn’t predicted that a woman would have thrown herself under his wheel. It didn’t make the offense less serious.

 

Alec already had much more than he could have expected watching that first video - a photograph of the culprit, now that was something that had never happened over the course of his whole career. That’s why he hesitated to watch the second video. He wasn’t quite sure seeing the accident would bring any more clues, and he knew it would be hard to watch. Then again, he couldn’t risk missing something important. He’d already messed up a case once because of a bad choice, and he didn’t want to make another blunder that could end in an acquittal. 

 

He took a deep breath and launched the second video. Expectant worry bloomed in his stomach as he followed the wild course of the double-decker through the bus, and he wished the quality of the video was just as bad as the first one. But it wasn’t. His only consolation was that it was still black and white, and that there was no sound. He chewed on his tongue when the image switched to the moment he dreaded, his fingers clenching on the edge of the desk. There she was. Waiting at the crossing, bag in hand, feet trotting on the spot. And the pedestrian light turned green. His breathing stopped after a gasp flew from his lips and he cringed when it finally happened. He watched her start to run, then raise her arms to protect herself in one blessed reflex of survival. And then her body got projected feet away by the force and the violence of the impact. Of course, the scene on the screen lasted long enough for him to see her limp body lying in the middle of the road, to see the blood pooling around her and the people gathering at the corner of the street. Anger seized his body and his lungs contracted painfully in his chest, his lips bending in a furious grimace.

 

The video kept playing, and as expected, there was nothing useful to be seen, which made his anger even worse. He switched back to the first video, to that frame where the culprit’s face could spite him and where he could glare back at him.

  
  


“Stupid dipshit,” Alec cursed under his breath, taking off his glasses to tuck them in his front pocket.

  
  


He scribbled down the reference number of the video and the timeframe on a blank page of his notepad and rose from his chair with a sigh. He should have been relieved to have stumbled onto the best thing a detective could find, ecstatic, even, but that second video had completely drained the little positive energy he could muster at a time. The memory of her body soaking in a puddle of fresh blood was still too fresh, the sight of her broken body in the hospital much too recent, and it overshadowed anything else. He just wanted to put the bastard behind bars as soon as possible - and he ignored that little twinkle of a thought which whispered into his mind that he wanted that just to be by her side. 

 

Alec went to the main desk on the first floor and handed the old agent the page of his notepad.

  
  


“I need wanted posters on that guy,” he told her, voice dripping with even more grumpiness than usual. “One copy for me ASAP, and check for his identity in the database.”

“Hello, please, thank you,” she grumbled, but still took the piece of paper. “It’ll be done by the end of the afternoon. Sign here and I’ll get your copy.”

  
  


She presented a form that he was quick to scribble - his signature tended to be a mess of circles when he wasn’t in the mood - and he offered a curt nod as she disappeared in a back office. A minute later, she handed him a copy of the photo he wanted that he folded away in his pocket. 

 

Alec wondered for a moment if he should start looking for his man, or make another detour by the hospital before diving into search. His decision was quickly made. Within the span of an hour, he’d made more progress than what he’d hoped to make in two days, and he knew the culprit would be too much of a coward to leave the city - he’d seen that kind of petty criminal before and he knew how they worked. He had more than enough time to check on his protégée, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to see her again anyway. 

 

So, one taxi ride and a few minutes wandering the corridors of the hospital later, he was sitting down on the uncomfortable chair next to her bed. 

  
  


“Hello,” he greeted softly with a small smile, taking her hand in a gentle hold.

  
  


Alec was happy to see she was awake, despite her eyes half-closed in exhaustion, and he thought it quite the miracle that she could already squeeze his fingers back.

  
  


“Hi,” she tried to smile, her voice rough and broken. “Alex?”

“ _ Alec _ ,” he corrected with a grin, still glad that she remembered him. “The only thing Scottish thing I brought back from my land with my accent. How are you feeling, Rose?”

“Is  _ high  _ an option?” she mumbled, lifting her hand a little to show him the perfusion. “‘Cause that morphine is worse than that weed I smoked when I was sixteen. And listen to me, talking pot with a detective. Smart, Tyler.”

  
  


Alec chuckled under his breath and offered a reassuring brush of his thumb on the back of her hand.

  
  


“I’ll let you go with a warning this time,” he said with a good-hearted look. “Are you in pain?”

“Could be worse,” she said, her shoulders twitching in a poor attempt of a shrug. “Doesn’t hurt much when I don’t move. And the morphine helps. So does the hot detective.  _ Crap _ . You didn’t hear that.”

  
  


Alec felt his cheeks inflame at the comment and the raucous giggle that fell from her lips - which was instantly followed by a fit of coughs that made her forhead crease and her nose scrunch up in pain and tears gather in her hazel eyes. His hand was quick to cradle the side of her face and he bent towards her to whisper a few words of comfort and reassurance. She managed to get her breathing back to a regular pace after a minute, and Alec fetched a tissue to wipe the moisture under her eyes.

  
  


“Keep the jokes for later, eh?” he advised with a shy smile, his cheeks progressively fading back to their normal shade. “Doesn’t do you any good to make fun of me.”

“‘M not,” she breathed out, ignoring the way those words burnt her throat on the way out. “I laughed because of the pot. The morphine. And you’re blushing, so there must be some truth to it.”

“Right,” he said, clearing his throat and trying hard not to actually blush again. “Anyway, I just came to tell you my investigation is progressing. It shouldn’t be long before I catch the bloke who did this to you.”

“Oh, yes, the accident,” she whispered, the drug-induced smile melting from her face. “Don’t remember much. I was told… It was a bus.”

“It was, yes,” Alec nodded, the images of the video he’d watched earlier flashing behind his eyes. “Someone stole it and just sped down the street.”

“I guess I... Shouldn’t have been late.”

“Hey, none of that,” he interrupted with a tender squeeze on her fingers. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“A bit...” she murmured, a ghost of a sad grin crossing her features. “I should...Have been more careful.”

“No, Rose, don’t do that,” he insisted, moving from is chair to sit closer to her, on the edge of the mattress. “You cannot feel bad for what happened. You did nothing wrong, you hear me? Nothing.”

“Yeah, ‘kay,” she agreed in a breath, her eyes starting to close on their own. “Never contradict a copper. Especially when he’s hot.”

“Exactly,” he confirmed with a nod and a soft smile. “Now, get some rest while I do my job, eh? I’ll come back when I have good news for you, okay?”

“Sure. And, um… Sorry ‘bout the morphine. I just hope… I didn’t say anything stupid.”

“That’s no for me to say,” he shrugged, bending to plant his lips drawn into a grin on her forehead. “I’ll come by later. Sleep well, Rose. Get better.”

“Thanks, Alec. Come back… Soon.”

  
  


Alec lingered just long enough to watch her eyes finally close and her face relax as she was swept away by a deep slumber. And just long enough to realise that, yes, he definitely was smitten by a young woman he’d spent a grand total of an hour with. He didn’t know why. But at the sight of their joined hands on the side of the mattress, his heart stuttered in his chest. And he knew how much.

  
  


“Darn.”

 

* * *

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here goes the end of the investigation, because, quite frankly, I just wanted to finally write some Hardy x Rose fluff! 
> 
> So, next chapter, the Teninch goodness will finally begin!
> 
> I hope you'll like it, please let me know what you think! :)

* * *

 

 

Alec watched the streets flying by behind the window, unaware that the paper he was holding was steadily being torn apart by his nervous fingers. He was still shaken by the awful realization that had struck him harder than a train launched at full speed, and he found it impossible to focus on anything but this. He did his very best to construct arguments against it, engaging into an internal debate that seemed to have no end. She was too young, too pretty, too nice, and way too young. Yes, that was the only argument that truly weight in the balance. Or at least it should have. She was almost half his age, for Goodness sake, that should have been more than enough to knock some reason into his thick brain. Instead, he found himself grinning at the thought that she had called him  _ hot _ . It was a presumptuous and boisterous reaction, and he knew it, but it gave him a very unwanted hope that she might fancy him. Oh, yes, unwanted. He didn’t want that. He didn’t need another reason to indulge in a fantasy that had close to no foundation. It wasn’t like he knew her. It wasn’t like he had the slightest clue about who she really was. 

 

His eyes focused on his own reflection in the window, and a bitter chuckle fell from his lips. It had been a long time since he had really looked at his face and even longer since the last time he had asked himself,  _ how do I look _ ? He took in the crinkles at the corner of his eyes that had grown deeper over the years, the bags under them that gave him an ever tired look, the hollowed cheeks barely concealed by a dirty beard he had stopped trimming properly ages ago. His slanted nose, his slightly bulgy eyes, his non-existent upper lip and a much too pouty lower one, his strict haircut and even stricter expression. Nothing remotely  _ hot  _ about this face, he thought. One more argument against the childish reverie he had given in. If only he could...

  
  


“Oi, I said,  _ we’re here _ .”

  
  


Alec snapped back to reality at the sound of the taxi driver’s annoyed bark, and he suddenly realised that they were parked in front of the place he had asked for, indeed. He folded his now rumpled paper back into his pocket and took out a twenty bill from his wallet - the driver’s scowl oddly melted when he spotted the badge neatly pinned on the black leather.

  
  


“Keep the change,” Alec said with a quick wave of the hand, already stepping out of the black cab.

  
  


He stood in front of the façade of the tiny fish and chips restaurant that he could see was empty through the picture window. It was rather isolated, in a street of tall grey buildings on the outskirts of the capital city, and he doubted it was the kind of restaurant visited by anyone else but the local population. Luck was definitely on his side for this case - a more than welcome change compared to the usual chaos most of his cases implied. He pushed to door open, the sound of a little bell ringing in his ears, and he headed to the counter behind which an old woman with grey hair tied into a messy bun was standing. 

  
  


“Detective Hardy,” he introduced himself with a flash of his police badge, before he took out the printed photo of his suspect and showed it to her. 

“Oh, what’s Aaron done again?” she sighed, obviously not surprised to see that face.

“Do you know him well?” Alec asked, unable to believe fate was being so kind to him - but somehow glad it was.

“‘Course I do, this kid has been coming here for years,” she shrugged. “Aaron Wright, he lives down the street. Good kid, but he likes to get into trouble. Last time a cop came here was because Aaron had been doing some shoplifting at the Tesco.”

“Was he ever convicted?”

“No, he’d only stolen a couple of DVDs. He paid for them and that was it. Did he do it again?”

“What he’s done is more serious than shoplifting, I’m afraid,” Alec said, taking out his small notepad and a pen. “Can you tell me his address?”

  
  


The old woman nodded and enunciated an address that was indeed just down the street. He thanked her with a curt bow of the head and headed out of the little shop with the firm intention to find his culprit. The faster he could put him behind bars or at least take him into custody, the quicker he’d be back to his small hut in Broadchurch. Because he now knew it wasn’t a good idea to linger around Rose and keep building a small story on nothing but wishful thinking, he just wanted to bring the poor woman some justice and leave. That was the best plan he could think of to spare his already broken heart any more pain. 

 

He strode down the deserted street and within minutes he reached the large wooden door that opened on a spiral staircase. It was an old building, decrepit even, the ancient wallpaper yellowed and sticking off of the walls in some place, the old-fashioned carpets dusty and stained, and the steps creaked under his feet as he started to climb up the stairs. He stopped in front of a dark green door painted with a large number six, made sure he could draw his gun should it be necessary - he was quite sure it wouldn’t, but if he had learned anything during all those years in the police, it was that none can ever be too careful. He gave the door a few sharp knocks and waited, ready to flip his wallet open.

 

Anger almost instantly bubbled in his stomach when the young man opened the door, and it took a good amount of willpower not to punch him in the nose.

  
  


“Aaron Wright, you’re under arrest for the theft of TFL property and a hit and run offence,” he stated immediately, making the most of his placidity to handcuff him.

“Yeah, I knew you’d come,” he shrugged, seemingly unfazed to be arrested. “I messed up real bad this time, didn’t I?”

“You almost killed a woman,” Alec growled coldly, reaching for his phone in his pocket. “You’re looking at a few years in the dark, right now.”

  
  


Alec was quick to dial the number of the sergeant he needed to refer to, and he answered just as quickly. He asked for him to dispatch a car to fetch them and drive them back to the police station, then went inside the flat with his culprit to sit on a divan that had seen better days. It obviously was a student’s flat, with nothing out of the ordinary - it certainly didn’t look like the flat of a young man capable of stealing a bus and running over someone. A few movie posters were hanging on the walls, a TV and a game console were still on in a corner of the small living room, cans of soda and bags of chips littering the coffee table. Alec looked at him and noticed the tears he had trouble reigning in. He would have felt pity for the twenty year-old, if he wasn’t a painful reminder of the broken woman lying in a hospital bed.

  
  


“Why’d you do it?” Alec asked in a gruff tone - he wanted answers now, because he knew he would leave the rest of the case to the London police. He had done his job, found his man, and that was everything he had been wanting.

“‘Cause I’m a bloody  stupe, is why,” he mumbled, shifting on his cushion to ease the strain in his wrists. “A stupe hanging out with other stupes doesn’t really work out well. We just had… This idea, to… Celebrate the end of the year. We wanted to throw a party in a bus and tour the city.”

“You stole a bus for a bloody party? You almost killed someone for a fucking  _ party _ ?”

  
  


At this point, Alec was positively fuming, and he had found at least a dozen words to better than  _ stupe  _ to describe him - that he couldn’t use, lest he’d end up losing his temper and being the one taken into custody.

  
  


“I know, okay?” the young man grumbled. “If you hadn’t found me, I would have gone to the police myself. I’m not proud of what I did.”

“You’d better not be,” Alec scoffed, standing up the sofa and running a feverish hand through his hair. “Fuck, do you realize how reckless and dangerous you’ve been? And the gun, where did you find it?”

“It was just a toy, to scare people off, I’m not a killer.”

“Not a killer? _Not a_ _killer_?” he close to shouted, images of Rose flashing before his eyes. “A young woman is in a hospital right now, and it’s a small miracle she’s not dead!”

“Well, she’s not. Gimme some slack, man, I know I’m fucked anyway.”

“Damn right, you are! Stupid prick.”

  
  


Alec stared at him with eyes that could have thrown daggers, and he was thankful for his phone vibrating in his pocket. A minute later, he was shoving the young man on the backseat of a police car, making sure to push on his head harder than strictly necessary.

  
  


“Well, that didn’t take long,” Sergeant Barnes smiled at him, slamming the door shut with the not-quite-subtle intent to thwart his prisoner.

“Got lucky,” Alec dismissed with a shrug. “Could you lead the interrogation and everything? I need to leave London now. Bigger case waiting for me.”

“Sure thing, you’ve done all the work anyway,” his counterpart nodded, offering his strong hand. “Thanks for the assistance, Hardy. And good luck for your other case. Need a ride back?”

“Nah, I’ll just take a taxi.”

“Alright. Call me later if you want an update.”

“Will do.”

  
  


They parted on a firm handshake, and Alec was left alone in the street, wondering what to do. Reason was whispering to him to just go fetch the bunch of papers he needed to close his case back in Broadchurch and leave London as soon as possible, but his heart was screaming at him to go and see Rose Tyler one last time before he’d have to go. He debated a long time with himself. He knew it wasn’t  a good idea to visit her, because it would only make things harder. He wasn’t supposed to like her, and when she got better, she most certainly wouldn’t find anything interesting in him at all. It had been stupid to give in that silly infatuation he didn’t even know where was coming from. It was so unlike him. Sure, he had been interested by a few women ever since he’d divorced, but never before had he felt an attraction like this. Shame he had to be attracted to a woman who would be miles away from wanting anything to do with him.

 

Nothing would ever happen between them, that was a fact he was certain of. He shook that thought out of his head and focused on the only thing in which he could find some comfort. He had found the culprit, he knew this might have helped her, even a little bit, overcome the ordeal, and that was enough. There stood the limit of their relationship. Well, he might just go and tell her this. Just five little minutes . And, after all, he needed to say goodbye. Couldn’t hurt, could it?

 

Alec walked to corner of the street that seemed a bit more busy, and found a taxi to hail.

  
  


“To the High Court,” he half-sighed, half-grunted, as he sat in the black cab. 

  
  


Alec Hardy had always been a man of reason.

  
  


* * *

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> New chapter, let the fluff begin!  
> There should be some angst thrown into the mix later, but not much!
> 
> I hope you'll like it, please let me know what you think! :)

* * *

 

 

Alec plopped down on his small sofa with a tired sigh, rubbing his long fingers down his face - which made him groan in annoyance when they met the glasses he had forgotten to take off. He loosened the knot of his deep burgundy tie and shed his uncomfortable jacket, glad to finally be freed of the garment that I felt like a second skin he soon wouldn’t be able to take off. A quick look at the clock told him that it was still early by his standards, and he drummed his fingers on his knees, trying to think of something to do. 

 

Miller had suggested they go out into town to share a coffee, but given his grumpiness had grown worse over the past few weeks - thanks to the complete lack of investigations landing on their desks and the boredom that caused him to lose his temper much more often - he had refused. Better to ruminate alone than force his bad mood on others.

 

He looked around his tiny living room and he suddenly regretted not owning a television. That could have helped time go by a bit faster, even if that meant watching rubbish soapy programmes and stupid reality shows. He sighed heavily, and rose from his sofa again to go make himself a coffee. Just as he stepped into his kitchen - or, more like, took a step beyond the tiny table that marked the frontier between the two rooms - a sharp series of knocks echoed in his house.

 

He grumbled under his breath and lifted his eyes to the ceiling, quite annoyed that anyone would dare interrupt his private boredom session. He walked back to his living room, and his heart stopped in his chest when he saw the person standing behind the double door, that unfortunately was made of glass and allowed the visitor to see him. No way he could pretend he wasn’t home, now. He gulped down a difficult breath and slowly went to the door, his fingers finding the key to unlock it.

  
  


“Detective Hardy,” she greeted with a sheepish smile, her tiny suitcase dangling from her hands.

“Miss Tyler,” Alec nodded in return, quite unable to believe she had managed to find him so far away from London. “What are you doing here?”

  
  


He saw in her eyes that he might have been a bit too cold - it wasn’t his fault if surprise tended to translate into a gruff tone of his voice, but he still felt bad for the slight frown that made her eyebrows twitch. She started to rock on the balls of her feet and worry her plump bottom lip between her teeth, then she offered a shrug.

  
  


“I… I’m sorry to bother you in your home,” she apologized, a light blush spreading down her neck. “I wasn’t sure I’d be allowed to visit you at your workplace, so I thought… Look, this obviously was a terrible idea, I should go.”

“No, no that’s alright,” he quickly interjected, scared that she would actually leave. “Please, come in. I was about to make coffee, would you like some?”

“Um, sure,” she smiled, and Alec was glad to see her shoulders sag a little, he hoped in relief. “Thanks.”

“You can sit wherever you like. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  
  


Alec disappeared in his little kitchen and he addressed a silent thanks to Ellie for having bought him one of those capsule coffee machines he usually hated, but that appeared to be a much appreciated perk when he noticed he only had a day old coffee pot that had just enough left in it for one cup. While the machine set to work with its characteristic jackhammer noise - one of the reasons why he hated it - he bent down to take a look at himself in the door of his microwave oven. He realized he was still wearing his finger stained glasses, that had dropped to the middle of his nose and made him look even older than he was, and he was quick to take them off. He tried to give his hair their original shape back, combing his finger through the copper-coloured mass he had ruffled more than once during the day. He tightened his tie again and straightened the white sleeves of his somewhat rumpled shirt. And then, he sighed in defeat. No matter what he did, he’s still look desperately old and tired and grumpy and, God, why did this woman came back? 

 

He picked up the two coffee cups and his heart stuttered when he saw her flip her hair back behind her shoulder. He finally noticed that she looked much more  _ womanly  _ than the first time he’d seen her in London, eight months back. Her hair fell in elegant blond locks to frame a face covered in far less make-up, her large denim jacket had been replaced by a black trench coat and, overall, she looked so much more beautiful. This didn’t help him with his predicament - namely, being completely smitten. He had thought all those months apart without thinking about her would have been enough to forget about her. It obviously hadn’t.

 

He cleared his throat and set the two cups down on the table, sitting down next to her with a shadow of a smile. He followed her gaze to the small mountains of files he had piled up in a corner of the living room, to the horrid paintings on the walls he still hadn’t taken down, to the old furniture and the old carpet, to the general mess of papers and various trinkets he left lying around without ever putting them away. Everything that screamed,  _ I’m a senior _ , Alec thought bitterly. He pushed that thought aside and managed to offer an embarrassed, albeit kind look when she focused her eyes back on him.

  
  


“So, what brings you here, Miss Tyler?” Alec asked, wincing when he dipped his lips in the boiling coffee.

“Convalescence,” she shrugged, running a finger on the rim of her cup. “I… Needed to get away from London, because I didn’t feel quite safe anymore. I wanted to go someplace quiet, a small town, and I thought I might as well come here, so I could… Thank you.”

“Thank me?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, for helping me after the accident. For coming to see me at the hospital. I remembered you, but I couldn’t quite remember your name, so I had to ask around a little. Six months in a hospital tends to mess with your memory a bit, I guess.”

“Six months? That long?”

“Yeah…” she sighed, diverting her eyes to stare at a motif on the tablecloth. “After you left, there was some kind of complication with my lung. A suture broke or something, they had to operate again and it got infected. Took a long time to heal. There also was all that physical therapy, because lots of bones were broken, and the psychological therapy too. I… Kinda went through a panic attack the first time I went out, just because a car parked in front of me.”

“Oh” Alec whispered, his hand unconsciously finding hers. “I’m so sorry, Rose. Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes, I got over it,” she reassured him with a smile. “More or less. Anyway, I just came to thank you, Detective Hardy. You made it easier to cope with everything. I’m glad you were there.”

  
  


A weird and annoying feeling coursed through him, and it took him a moment to understand where it was coming from. She had called him  _ Detective Hardy _ . He hated his first name and he always insisted that people should address him with his last name, everyone knew that. But in Rose’s mouth, it sounded different. Unnatural. It bothered him, because it implied a courteous distance he most definitely didn’t want coming from her. He wanted to be her friend, not some kind authority figure to which she ought to show respect. 

  
  


“Please, don’t call me Hardy,” he shook his head with a frown. “I… Don’t really like it.”

“Oh, sorry…” she apologized softly, a grin tugging at her full lips. “Should I go back to calling you  _ hot detective _ , then? Because I’m afraid I totally forgot your first name and everyone just called you Hardy when I asked about you.”

  
  


Alec choked on his sip of coffee and he failed to keep a raging blush from spreading from his hairline to the base of his neck.

  
  


“Sorry,” Rose immediately apologized with a blush of her own, handing him a paper napkin so her could wipe his chin. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate. I just remembered that one time you came and I was high as a kite, and I… That was stupid, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he wheezed as he tried to tame the fit of coughs he felt coming. “Just call me Alec, eh? Don’t give an elder a heart attack.”

“Elder?” Rose asked, seemingly surprised that he would used such a term to define himself. “How are you an elder?”

“Oh please, don’t make it worse,” he grumbled, giving her a dark look over the ridge of the cup he had brought back to his lips. “Did you lose your eyesight at some point or what?”

  
  


Rose stared at him in disbelief at the rather rude comment, and his only answer was a disheartened shrug and a roll of his eyes.

  
  


“Everyone told me about your legendary grumpy mood,  _ Alec _ , but they probably forgot to warn me about your… Impoliteness,” she smiled, unfazed by his offensive attitude. “Is it a consequence of your obviously canonic age or have you always been like this?”

 

It was his turn to gape at her with features torn in the purest expression of incredulity. He couldn't remember a time when someone had dared to so much as mention his arguable behaviour, and he was thwarted that a twenty-five years old woman could tease him about it with so much ease and light-heartedness. She gave him a tongue-touched grin and he emerged from his torpor.

  
  


“My age is a… Touchy subject,” he stated carefully, doing his best to ignore the fact that this Rose had managed to understand what he needed within a minute when he’d been struggling for years to come to terms with the fact that he wanted someone who could kick his arse on the right path. “I don’t like to talk about it. Especially not with… Uh.”

“What, with me, or with younger people in general?” Rose teased, taking a small sip of her coffee. “Being old is not a matter of age, Mister. Some are already  _ elders  _ at thirty, others stay young until they die. Take off your blinkers and get some perspective, Alec. Live a little.”

“A twenty-five years old isn’t going to teach me a lesson about life,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You know nothing about me, what gives you the right to talk to me like that?”

“I didn’t know the detective who helped me would be such a piece of arse, that’s for sure,” she shot back as she set her empty cup back on the table. “Come on, Alec, drop this whole _ I’m old and grumpy _ act, it doesn’t really suit you. I can see you’re not like that. You don’t even want to be like that.”

“What, ‘cause there’s a light in my eyes, or that kind of crap?” he sighed heavily, lifting his eyes to the ceiling.

“Because the crinkles at the corner of your eyes mean you used to smile a lot,” she simply said, not wanting to build on his comment. “And I’ve never seen you smile. Not once. Wouldn’t you like to try it again some time?”

“I do smile a lot, thank you very much,” he protested, his fingers unconsciously going to rub the thin wrinkles that spread to his temples.

“Do you now?”

  
  


Alec offered a forced, unnatural smile that had a chortle escape her lips.

  
  


“What, don’t you like my smile?” he huffed, going back to his stern expression.

“Well, I might if it were a real one,” she retorted as she stood from her chair and picked up her small suitcase. “I should be going now. I want to go sightseeing around a bit. I would have asked you to come, but I’m scared you’ll pull a muscle in your cheeks should I manage to make you smile by some kind of divine intervention.”

  
  


Alec stood from his chair too, because he wanted to accompany her to the way out or because he wanted to keep her inside, he wasn’t sure. He followed her to the door, disappointed that their conversation had ended in such a disagreeable way when it had started so well. 

  
  


“Did it ever occur to you that I might have good reasons to be like this?” he suddenly said, thinking it might as well plead his cause before they could part on such bad terms.

“I’m sure you have reasons, Alec,” she smiled softly. “ _ Good _ reasons? I don't know. Maybe. It’s not like we know each other enough for me to say.”

“What if we got to know each other a bit better, then?” he managed to ask past the lump of anxiety that had settled in his throat. “I mean… You came all the way down here partly because of me, so…I kind of feel like I owe you a debt.”

“Well, I came to thank you for your help, you don’t really owe me anything,” she shrugged.

  
  


If she had been honest with him, and with herself, she would have told him that she regretted half of what she’d said to him, and that she thought she even might have been ruder than him. He obviously was a complicated man with a complicated past, and even though she wanted to know more about him, she highly doubted she’d be the kind of person he would want to share anything with. He’d said it himself, he was older, with other preoccupations she would most likely be unable to help him with. He’d been right. She had no right to tell him what he should feel, how he should be.

 

She didn’t even know what she had expected coming to see him.  She had wanted to thank him for everything he had done for her, that wasn’t a lie. But there had been something else. She had kept his face and his voice in her memory, two things that had brought her comfort throughout a rather difficult period of her life. She had thought about him so often that, maybe, she had built feelings on an idealized version of that man standing in front of her.

 

But he was a real person, with feelings and beliefs and a character- things she now realized had been a mistake to overlook. There still was something unfathomable about him, a little something that made her want to really get to know him. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, and she was sure to get a few burns if she got too close to him. But she wanted it. It would be a challenge, but she was more than willing to take it up. And he seemed just as willing as she was.

  
  


“Let me invite you to dinner,” Alec ended up offering, nervously fiddling with the tip of his tie. “Nothing fancy, just… A dinner we can talk over. As friends. If you want.”

“I’d like that.”

“Tomorrow night? Around eight?”

“Sounds good, yeah.”

  
  


Rose almost gaped in surprise when he finally smiled - a shy, little smile that made the corners of his mouth quiver and his chin tremble, but it was a smile nonetheless. She smiled back, stood on the tip of her toes and bent a little forward, planting a chaste kiss on his stubbled cheek. 

  
  


“I knew you had it in you, Detective Hardy,” she whispered cheekily. “See you tomorrow.”

  
  


Alec’s mouth opened as if he wanted to answer, but no sound came out. He waited until she disappeared at the corner of the row of small houses, and a groan he would have been unable to qualify finally got the better of his tied tongue.

  
  


“What the Hell just happened?”

 

* * *

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, back with a new chapter for this little story!
> 
> Huge step forward towards the fluffy goodness with this! :)
> 
> I hope you'll like it, let me know what you think!

* * *

 

 

Alec checked himself in the full-length mirror, pinching his tie to give it a light pull and properly tightening it around his neck. He plucked off the small piece of tissue he had used to cover a shallow cut on his chin - he hadn’t trimmed his beard in weeks, but for this night, he had wanted it make it look clean and even. Not that it helped make him look much younger, but at least it reduced the hard features of his grump, which was no small feat. He brushed his fringe of copper hair back and wiped the remnant glistening of the anti-aging cream he had dabbed under his eyes. He could never quite be satisfied with his looks, and he knew it, but at least he couldn’t blame himself for not trying. In fact, he actually wondered why he had went through all the trouble, because this was just supposed to be a friendly dinner, but something about their last meeting had made him want to at least give it a try. 

 

Rose had impressed him. Easy talker, fierce, cheeky, not afraid to challenge his bad mood. In more ways than one, she had proved to him there were still people who dared to challenge him. And he thought he needed that. Someone who wouldn’t feel impeded by his grumpy temperament, wouldn’t hold back for fear of getting yelled at. That little piece of beautiful woman seemed to be one of those who could shove him back on the right path with as much force as necessary. He liked her even more. Of course, given how he had been, she most likely didn't like him back, did she? Just because she had accepted his invitation didn’t mean anything.

 

He shoved his questions and doubts in a corner of his head and went back to the small living room, grinning to himself at the sight. He was pleased with his job. Adieu to all the messy piles of paper, to the ugly paintings, to the old tablecloth and the old carpet. Instead, he had moved the round table to the center of the room, threw a white, brand new tablecloth over it, added a tiny vase with a simple deep red tulip he had thieved from the neighbor's garden. It looked simple, but good simple. Simple enough not to make it look like he wanted this to be a date.

 

A sharp knock drew his attention to the door and he had to brush a smile off his face - he couldn’t give away that he was pleased to see her so fast, that would look suspicious.

  
  


“Miss Tyler,” he greeted as he opened the door.

“Mister Hardy,” she nodded back with a smile.

  
  


Alec took a step on the side to let her in, and she brushed so close to him that he believed she wanted… Something, but he could only guess. He ended up giving her an awkward hug, a hand too low on her hip, the other to high on her neck, but at least she didn’t seem to mind. 

  
  


“Didn’t I tell you to call me Alec?” he raised an eyebrow, gentlemanly helping her out of her long trench coat.

“I will call you Alec when you call me Rose,” she answered with a tongue-touched grin. “I thought this was a dinner between friends, not a professional meeting.”

“Quite right. So, Rose, you…”

  
  


He stopped dead in the middle of his sentence when he finally took her in. She was wearing a strapless black dress that hugged her upper body and clung to her legs in the most tantalising ways. Her hair fell over her shoulders in elegant blond waves, a necklace hung low on her sternum - and he refused to follow the chain of the pendant that rested much too close to her cleavage, and her smoky black make-up made the whiskey colour of her eyes stand out like sparkling ambers. He wanted to believe she had dressed like this to try and seduce him. If she hadn’t, then she was just a temptress in an angel’s attire. If she had, it was definitely working. She was positively stunning.

  
  


“Yes?” she insisted, looking at him through her thick eyelashes.

“You just look, well, beautiful,” he offered, scratching the back of his head with a very light blush that was mostly hidden under his neatly trimmed beard.

“You’re not bad yourself,” she winked back, obviously happy he had noticed her looks.

“Not bad for a forty-four year old cop, eh?” he asked, pulling a chair from under the table.

“Not bad at all. Very smart. Very sexy.”

  
  


Alec blushed just a tad harder at the comment and wondered if she had gotten the clue he had wanted to slip his age without making a mountain of it. If she had, she didn’t dwell on it, which was a good sign. Maybe she really didn’t care, after all. Good omens, that was.

  
  


“I apologize in advance for my complete lack of social skills,” he shrugged as he absentmindedly scratched his jaw. “If you want to nudge me in the right direction at any time, please do.”

“Well, usually, you start a date by offering something to drink,” she helpfully provided, crossing her hands on the edge of the table.

  
  


His finger immediately stopped moving at the word  _ date  _ and his eyes widened almost comically. He even took a tiny step back, as if he was afraid her words could stab him or her breath burn him. Rose laughed softly at his reaction and and got back to her feet to stand inches away from him.

  
  


“I am no detective,  _ sir _ ,” she started with a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “But if I’m not mistaken…”

  
  


She brushed her fingers against his cheek and ran the pad of her thumb just above his lips - she really was unfamiliar with the concept of personal space, he reckoned. Not that he minded much.

  
  


“You’ve trimmed and cleaned that beard,” she continued, her index following up the trail of his well defined features to rest somewhere under his eye. “That skin looks a bit red. Probably a reaction to a cream you’ve never used before. And then…”

  
  


Her hand sneaked back down, tracing the column of his throat to stop at the knot of his tie.

  
  


“You've bought a new tie,” she added, trying to conceal a grin biting on her lower lip. 

“How do you know about that?” he raised an eyebrow, doing his very best not to be overwhelmed by her closeness.

“It’s shiny, clean but doesn’t smell of laundry detergent, no creases, a bit stiff,” she enumerated as he watched her fingers slip behind the knot and felt a definite pull at its base. “But then of course, the tag you forgot to remove kinda gives it away, too.”

“Oh,” he mumbled under his breath, looking up at the small piece of paper she had indeed plucked off the underside of his tie.

“Oh,” she mimicked with a smile, readjusting the knot that had loosened a bit. “So, if I’m not mistaken, you want this to be a date.”

“I… Suppose the thought crossed my mind at some point,” he admitted, thinking it useless to go against all the clues she had noticed. “Not a date,  _ date _ . Just an evening to get to know each other. As… Friends? I mean, friends doesn't imply you have to be casual, right?’

“Right,” she giggled at his attempt to deny his real intentions. “So, drink?”

  
  


Alec nodded and disappeared in the kitchen. He ran a hand over his face with a tired sigh, unsuccessful in grasping on the last of his composure. Had he really been that obvious? Of course he had. He tugged angrily on his brand new tie, a sharp pull that accompanied a muttered curse at his own stupidity. No way he could pretend he just wanted to be friends now.  _ Casual friends _ . He couldn’t even convince himself, how could he convince her? She had seen through him better than through a bloody window. He would have to redirect the course of action he has carefully planned. Instead of trying to make her understand he might be interested, he would just have to seduce her. Plain, simple. Terrifying. He could deal with friends, but he couldn’t deal with a date. Back in his twenties he had been a dating machine - thanks to the gob and the natural charm he had long lost, but he was too old. He’d seen too many things and lived too long as a married man and a  hardened single father to remember how all of this worked. He could only count on his current personality and appearance.

  
  


“Well, tough luck,” he mumbled under his breath as he opened the tiny fridge in which he had tucked a bottle of champagne away.

  
  


He brought back the bottle of champagne along with two flutes, and he found her with the framed picture of his daughter in her hands. 

  
  


“That’s Daisy,” he told her, popping the bottle open, thinking it better not to beat around the bush and not to start hiding things from her - healthy grounds, he thought that was the key he’d failed to use with his ex-wife. “She’s almost eighteen now. Don’t get to see her much. She’s been away to a music college, and we don’t have that good of a relationship anyway. Put the blame on my ex-wife. The witch did everything she could to keep her away from me. Thinks I’ve been a bad dad, which isn’t exactly wrong, but still…”

“You miss her, don't you?” Rose said softly, reverently putting the frame back down on the small coffee table.

“Sometimes,” he shrugged as he handed her her glass, joining her to look at the only photo he had kept. “I try not to think too much about it.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong,” Rose apologized with a shy squeeze on his arm.

“That’s quite alright. You’re here to know more about me, aren’t you? This wasn’t the first thing I thought telling you about, but well… Now you know I’m a grumpy divorced father, so the worse is out of the way, I suppose. Does it… Bother you?”

“Not in the slightest. Thank you for… You honesty.”

“Thank you for not running away,” he grinned back, giving her a playful nudge with his hip.

“Not yet anyway,” she chuckled, lifting her glass up to clink it with his. “To discovery, then?”

“To discovery.”

  
  


Alec felt his face heat a little when she took a sip of champagne, peering at him through her thick eyelashes with a half-grin - he truly believed her beauty lied in the depth of her eyes. Something hotter than a flame and sweeter than the fluffiest piece of candy, something between scorching passion and tender kindness that had the power to make his heart beat slightly faster against his ribcage. He was awed that a beautiful twenty-five year old woman who could have so much more than him had decided to stay. She seemed truly eager to unveil everything he had hidden away, unlike all his short-lived dates that had barely dared to scratch his thick surface. If she stuck with him long enough, maybe she would get to make his carapace crack. And he was finding out that he would love that. Be his old self again. The man he once was, that he had hidden away so well even he had forgotten about how it felt to laugh and care and love.

 

Rose suddenly winced and almost dropped her glass, which had Alec rush to wrap an arm around her waist.

  
  


“Steady, there,” said softly, helping her walk back to her chair. “You alright?”

“Yeah, sorry,” she apologized with a blush, stretching her leg forward as she massaged her thigh. “Sequels. It hurts when I stand for too long.”

“Do you need anything?” he immediately enquired, dragging his chair to sit next to her.

“Oh, it’ll go away soon enough,” she shrugged. “Can’t say the same about my wrist, though.”

“I remember the doctor telling me about it, yes,” he said softly, looking at the right hand she kept cradled in her lap. “Is it that bad?”

“It hurts all the time and I can barely hold a pen anymore. I hope you weren’t planning on giving me a steak, Alec, ‘cause you’ll have to cut it for me.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” he offered with a sheepish smile. “I thought setting my kitchen on fire wouldn’t make too great of a first impression, so I, um, ordered Chinese. I hope that’s alright.”

“ _ Nothing fancy _ , yeah?” she teased, borrowing the words he had used the day before.

“Nothing fancy. There’s still time to go to the restaurant, though, if you’d rather like that.”

“Not at all. I didn’t come for the food anyway, you know.”

“Didn’t you? Why are you here, then?”

  
  


Oh, Alec knew he was taking the slippery slope with that kind of questions, but given how straightforward she had been and the fact that she knew he wasn’t doing this out of charity for a victim, he might as well tempt fate a bit more audaciously. He eyed her more insistently with a raised eyebrow when her answer didn’t come, which earned him a warm laugh and a wink.

  
  


“Because it’s not wise to refuse a copper’s offer,” she answered with the kind of cheek he definitely expected from her.

“Very true. So, Chinese, Miss Tyler?”

“Chinese it is,  _ hot Detective _ .”

 

* * *

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the fluff we've all been waiting for!
> 
> This is a very Alec-orientated POV because I just love to imagine what happens inside his brain - if you'd rather have more Rose POV or a balance between the two, let me know!
> 
> I hope you'll like it!  
> Thank you for reading and leaving comments & kudos, it's always greatly appreciated! :-)
> 
> PS: Is everyone reading this comfortable with Mature/Explicit content? Please let me know before I start working on the next chapter!

* * *

 

 

“So, when are you leaving?”

  
  


He wanted the question to be innocent, but the words tumbled down his lips much too fast to sound anything less than nervous. She raised an eyebrow and sipped at what was left of her coffee, enjoying with a barely concealed smirk the way he bent forward and drummed an impatient finger on the armrest of the couch.

  
  


“I don’t know yet,” she shrugged, placing her now empty mug on the coffee table. “Probably a day or two. I’m staying at that hotel by the harbour. Not cheap, for a small town like this.”

“If it’s about the money, I can help,” he offered with an awkward pat on her knee, his hand deviating its course at the very last moment when he remembered her thigh was still painful.

“I didn’t say that for…  _ That _ . I’m not that desperate, Alec.”

“And I’m not that rich, Rose. I’m not offering money, I’m offering a place to stay. If you want.”

“Oh… Well, that’s a bold offer for a man who still hasn’t asked for a dance, don’t you think?” she grinned, tongue bit between her teeth.

“No, we’re  _ not  _ going down that road,” he shook his head forcefully in disapproval.

  
  


She rose from the couch with an even broader grin, pretending she hadn’t heard his remark, and approached the small stereo standing next to a tiny stack of CDs. She wasn’t much surprised to find most of them were jazz compilations - she could definitely imagine him slouched over his couch, listening to soft piano and trumpets after a long day, and she found the image rather enticing.

  
  


“Which one?” she asked as she trailed a finger over the back of the boxes. “ _ Summertime _ or… Oh,  _ My Funny Valentine _ . That kinda fits. Shame that song makes me want to hang myself.”

“Neither,” Alec groaned, joining her to pick her searching hand away from the disks. 

“Okay,” she nodded in agreement, turning to face him with a smile. “I don’t like jazz much anyway.”

  
  


Alec thought he had managed to extirpate himself from a possibly disastrous experience, but he frowned when she still caught both his hands, placed one low on her hip, the other high on her back. He opened his mouth to protest, but she started to sway in the tight embrace of his arms, her cheek lightly resting over his shoulder.

  
  


“We can always pretend there’s a music we like,” she whispered into the collar of his shirt, clinging to the lapels of his suit jacket.

“Rose, I don’t…” he sighed, but bandonned the moment a quiet but melodic hum made his ears tingle.

  
  


He felt awkward, unable to decide what to do with his hands, her skin both too hot under his fingers and too irresistible. His feet remained firmly glued to the carpet, but she didn't seem to want to go far either. She simply rocked her hips, slowly, very lightly, and he accompanied her movements with a sway of his own. This was weird. Sure, the dinner had went pretty smoothly by his standards. They had smiled, even laughed, they had shared and exchanged. But despite their playful bouts of words, he didn’t think she had left any clue she might have considered something more than friendship. Her best card at the game of seduction was her cheek, and she had used it way too often for it to be fair play. He simply didn’t know if the cards he had played himself would be enough to win her over, or at the very least stretch the game into a draw.

 

But  now that she was in his arms, her fingers clinging to the lapels of his jacket and body so close he could feel the curve of her breasts against his chest and smell the delicate fragrance of her shampoo, he realized he didn’t want this to be a game. It had been a long time since anyone had held him in such an intimate way, and even longer since he had enjoyed such a contact. He hadn’t known he had been missing it until that moment. But now he knew. He craved to  _ care _ . The dormant instinct he had to bring comfort, to be an anchor to hold on to, to open his arms to a special someone and be the one that could be relied on. This was so much more than a game. It was important. It made him feel important.

 

So, he took a chance and trusted his body to speak better than his bitter tongue ever could. He brought his fingers to the hot nape of her neck to encourage her head to nestle more comfortably against his shoulder, and he pressed a soft kiss against the tiny patch of forehead that remained accessible to his lips. And they kept swaying to the imaginary song in a peculiar bur coordinated rhythm. Until he heard something that sounded much too alike to a sniff she tried to disguise into a soft sneeze. 

  
  


“Rose?” he asked softly, pulling away just enough to see the tears she didn’t get to wipe. “I’m sorry, is it…”

“‘S not you,” she shook her head with a sad chuckle. “I, er… You’re going to think I’m bonkers.”

“What is it, then? No copper’s hunch from me this time, I’m afraid.”

“It’s just… You asked me when I was leaving, yeah?”

“I did,” he nodded, raising a questioning eyebrow. “And? I’ve got you hooked up and you don’t want to leave me, is that it?”

  
  


That earned him a laugh he was glad to hear, relieved to see it didn’t seem to be as serious as he had first thought, and a weak smack on his shoulder he pretended to rub with a hurt look.

  
  


“Partly,” Rose answered with half a smile hangin to her lips. “But mostly because I… I don’t want to go back. I might have… Understated how London makes me feel now. Just talking about it I kinda feel… Scared. I know it’s stupid. I’m sorry.”

“No, Rose, it’s not stupid,” he quickly reassured her, cradling her fidgeting fingers into his palms. “After what happened it’s normal to be scared. I’d actually be more worried if you  _ weren’t  _ scared.”

“I had to go out to come here,” she shrugged, looking down at their joined hands and running the pad of her thumb over his knuckles. “It’s so ridiculous, but I had to hug the walls so I wouldn’t stand too close to the road. People looked at me like I was a nutter escaped from an asylum or something. I just… I don’t think I can go back there. Not yet anyway. I’m sorry, I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, it’s not like…”

“Stay here,” he cut through the self-inflicted reproach he felt she was about to spill. “The offer still stands. You could stay here, if you want. Either  _ here _ , or I could pull some strings to find you a temporary place in Broadchurch if you’re not comfortable staying with me.”

“Alec, I can’t just barge like this in your place and in your life. It’s not appropriate.”

“Oh, you can barge in anytime you want. In case you hadn’t noticed, I like your company. I like you.”

  
  


Alec knew this was something bold to say to someone he barely knew anything about, but he had always trusted his intuitions and he trusted his feelings. He did like her, and he was more than willing to hold out a hand to her. Remained to see if she wanted to take it.

  
  


“I’m not pressuring you into something you don’t want,” he added, hoping he would somehow manage to make her actually stay. “And this isn’t a scheme to get you in my bed, you know, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“If I were worried about this, I would be long gone already,” she smiled as she wrapped her fingers around his tie to occupy her hands. “I can see you’re not like that. I’m just nervous.”

“Nervous? Around me, you mean? I knew I could be, er,  intimidating, but...”

“You’re not intimidating, you’re scary.  _ Very  _ scary.”

  
  


Alec couldn’t figure out why it happened, but the air around them suddenly crackled with a tension that came out nowhere. The light pull on his tie felt like a harsh tug that made his neck burn, her sweet perfume turned into a heavy scent that made his throat itch, her sole presence swallowed him into a thick cloud that left his brain floating in an explosive cocktail of thoughts and feelings. Or it might just have been the way she bit into her lower lip again with that cheeky corner smile. Or the way she sheepishly lowered her eyes with that light blush spreading over her cheeks. Or what she said, her voice barely above a whisper, as her thumb reached his chin and travelled up his jaw. 

  
  


“It scares me that you can make me feel this way after so little time.”

  
  


He forgot how to breathe for a moment, struggling to put a meaning on those words that rang like a sweet melody in his ears, better than any song he could have imagined. His ability to decipher enigmatic phrases was put to the test by a young woman who was being so open it made his bruised heart ache. He couldn't figure out what she meant. He could only hope she wanted to say what he wanted to hear.

  
  


“What  _ way  _ are you talking about?” he asked softly, trying hard not to show how desperate for an answer he was.

“Probably the wrong one,” she sighed, although she didn't step back but rather shuffled closer to him. “Alec… Look at you. Forty-four, married once, father, great detective. You’ve already lived. You say you like me, okay, I accept that. But honestly…”

“ _ Honestly _ I’m not the man of your dreams, eh?” he grumbled, miserably failing to contain his irritation and disappointment. “Yeah, I kinda knew that already, thanks.”

“If you'd let me finish, you knob,” she shot back, tugging on his tie in reprisal. “I’m just wondering what it is you find in me, is all. There’s nothing I can give you. Nothing I can teach you. There’s nothing in this for you. And I’m terrified because I’m falling for a guy who needs someone else than a stupid girl in her twenties.”

  
  


Alec blinked, struggling with the very idea that the tables had turned and quite unable to understand how the _ I’m too old for you  _ situation had turned into an  _ I’m too young for you _ one. He had always been a very logical man - thus the wide range of detective skills he possessed - but this was beyond logic. Any person gifted with no more than an ounce of common sense would understand how preposterous this was. But then, a few words managed to seep through the fog of his confusion and panic welded with anticipation rushed through his veins. _ I’m falling or a guy _ . She really did like him. And then, he realized it was his turn to speak up. And he’d be damned if he failed to make her stay.

  
  


“I need someone who can call me a knob without running away the second later,” he simply said, aiming for something he hoped would make her laugh - always a good idea to make women laugh, he believed, and it seemed to work given the light chuckle that fell from her lips. “Rose, you wouldn’t be here if I didn’t see the kind of person I need in you. Until I met you, I thought I’d die a hardened divorced single and I was fine with it. You changed that. You make me want to live with someone again, and trust me when I say most people would think you’ve got some kind of superpower. You’re already giving me most of what I need, and you sure as Hell know how to handle me. I think you can teach me everything I forgot about me, and that’s more than enough. So, if you can accept that too…”

“Only if you never question why I like you. That's the deal, Alec. Acceptance needs to come from both sides.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Are you going to repeat everything I say like a bloody parrot?”

“I’d rather kiss you, because I think we’ve talked more than enough for one night.”

  
  


Alec knew he didn’t have to wait for her consent when she gave a smile and willingly stepped into the embrace  her offered. He brought his hand to cup her jaw and rolled an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him until she was fully pressed against his chest. He welcomed her hand on the nape of his neck with a delighted shiver coursing down his spine - a feeling he hadn’t had the chance to experience in such a long time it felt like the first time all over again. And he kissed her. Just a soft, experimental brush of lips at first, to enjoy the warmth of her full lips and the lingering taste of strawberry gloss she had painted over them. And then, her fingers tugged at the hair on the back of his head and the tip of her tongue poked at the seam of his mouth, and he gave in. It was slow when his heart was beating in a mad rhythm against his ribcage, it was deep when his hands touched her face with feathery brushes, it was coordinated like a well oiled-mechanism when his brain was just a firework show that had gone terribly wrong. He loved it.

  
  


Their lips parted with a soft pop and their forehead met instead, as if they both longed to keep to keep any kind of physical contact. Alec tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear and Rose trailed her fingers down his neck.

  
  


“So, are you staying, then?” he asked in a whisper.

“I don’t usually stay over on a first date, Mister Hardy,” she playfully answered, dropping another kiss on his stubbly jaw. “But I think I can make an exception for you.”

“You’ll find exceptions are what makes me who I am, Miss Tyler.”

“And I can’t wait to find out about them.”

  
  


* * *

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The general concensus was that smut is pretty much alright with everyone, so here goes!
> 
> Lots of fluff and a bit of smut in this chapter!
> 
> I hope you'll like it, please let me know what you!  
> And as always, thanks a lot for reading and commenting!

* * *

 

 

“No way.”

  
  


Alec knew he was stubborn, but it seemed he had found someone who could definitely compete with him in this regard. He’d been insisting for long minutes that he would be the one to sleep on the couch, but she kept refusing, pretexting the said-couch was much too small for his height - which wasn’t necessarily wrong, but he was very careful to keep that observation to himself. Instead, she was trying to convince him that they should both sleep in his bed, which would have been perfectly fine with him if it weren’t for her choice of sleeping clothes. A large red tee-shirt, the deformed collar slipping low on her shoulder that revealed the shiny strap of her black satin bra, the hem that stopped way above the middle of her thighs and thus offered a perfect view of her tones and creamy legs. He had offered pajama bottoms as well, but she had decided she would feel too hot under the heavy duvet of his bed and declined the proposition. He wasn’t a rabbit in its mating cycle, but he was still a man. No way he’d sleep through the night with that half-naked, gorgeous nymph curled up on his side.

  
  


“Alec Hardy,” she started again, brandishing her toothbrush in his direction, “this might be your place and your rules, but as a guest I demand you either sleep in your bed with me, or in your bed without me. I can take the couch if you so wish, but it is not proper to make a lady sleep on a lousy sofa.”

“Okay, both in the bed then,” he agreed, gently grasping her wrist to bring the toothbrush back to her mouth. “But you put the pajama bottoms.”

“Prudish,” she giggled, making quite a show of wiggling her barely covered bum on her way back to the bathroom.

“A simple man with a provocative woman,” he corrected with a smirk as he went to fluff up the pillows.

“So I’m the provocative one?” she asked aloud from the bathroom in a falsely offended tone. “I’m not the one to wear pajama shorts with nothing underneath and barely enough buttons on the front, thanks very much.”

“Oi, I offered you the last clean bottoms I had,” he grumbled, glad she couldn’t see his blush. “I should have a pair of sweatpants somewhere if that makes more more comfortable.”

“Alec, I’m not a nun, I’m not scared of masculine attributes,” she rolled her eyes, despite the smile splattered over her features when she joined him in the adjacent bedroom. “Just don’t poke me in the back with it until I’ve had my fill of sleep, I’m knackered.”

“Then don’t provoke me,” he playfully retorted as they both plopped down onto the bed. “So, alarm clock at six I’m afraid. You can stay in later, but if you want me to drop you off at the hotel, just know I leave the house at seven thirty. Or I can give you the keys if you promise not to set anything on fire.”

“I’ll be up before you, don’t worry,” Rose yawned, drawing a large hem of the duvet to her chin. “No poking until then, please.”

“Okay,” he chuckled before he turned off the lamp sitting on his bedside table.

  
  


Alec heard some fumbling in the dark, until he felt her body press against his side and her hand cling to his shoulder after she threw her arm around his chest. He embraced her protectively under the cover, and he blew a soft sigh through his nose when her mouth kissed his stubbled jaw - though the way she traced the contours of his face with her fingertips clearly hinted she was looking for his. Her index finally stopped on his pouty lower lip and was replaced by her full, soft lips a second later, and he had to roll on his side so he could slip a hand to the back of her head and gain more leverage to eagerly answer her kiss. Her legs curled up and her very naked knee brushed against his thigh, just as her body moulded even closer to his.

  
  


“You forgot the bottoms, Miss Tyler,” he breathed out between two nips of her lips.

“They didn’t fit,” she whispered with half-hearted shrug, brushing her nose against his. “Alec…”

“Hm,” he hummed against the skin of her neck, enjoying their combined heat gathering under the heavy cover when he was used to cold sheets.

“Do you consider me...  _ Us _ , as… A thing?” she asked with that light tinge of worry in her voice. “Together?”

“I want us to be,” he answered as softly as he could without sounding unsure. “Together. I don’t want this to be a one-way thing, Rose. I want to know where I’m headed. So, if you have doubts, want to wait, or if you’ve just had an epiphany and realized you want to leave, please tell me now.”

“Well, I can’t tell you where we’re headed, I’m afraid,” she admitted, brushing the pad of her thumb across his chin. “But… As long as we’re going there together… It’s the journey that matters, not the destination, yeah?”

“So young and so wise already,” Alec sighed, his smile transpiring through his words. “So, philosophy aside, do  _ you  _ consider us as a, er,  _ thing  _ or not?”

“One condition,” she grinned as her tongue ran along the seam of his lips. “Invite me to lunch tomorrow. In your office.”

“Is that a challenge, Miss Tyler?”

“Just wanna see how serious you are about this, Detective Hardy.”

“Alright,” he accepted with a resolute grunt, knowing he wouldn’t dodge it. “One PM, I’ll join you at the reception.”

“Perfect. ‘Night, Alec.”

“Goodnight, Rose.”

 

Their lips found each other in the dark for one last kiss before Rose shifted more comfortably against him and he pulled the cover over their clinging forms. Alec thought he really could get used to have that warm presence in his bed. Oh yes, he’d invite Rose Tyler to lunch at the station every single day if that meant he never got to spend a night alone again.

 

***

 

Rose slowly emerged from her slumber, stretching her back with a quite yawn and rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the heel of her hands. She was still a bit groggy, much like every other morning, but instead of the usual annoyance and bad temper that never failed to orchestrate her movements until she’d drink her coffee, she felt oddly at peace. It didn’t take long before she realized this might have had to do with the lean body spooning her from behind and the half-opened mouth that rested against the nape of her neck, soft snores coming out of it at regular intervals. His arm was comfortably wrapped around her midsection and his fingers had crawled up her stomach thanks to the tee-shirt that had ridden up her hips in her sleep. It was perfect. She felt safe, and that had become much too rare of an occurrence not to bask in the feeling for long minutes. Until he stirred a little in his sleep and his hips bucked against hers, a soft groan replacing a snore through one of his exhale.

  
  


“ _ Men _ ,” she sighed lowly when she felt his definite hardness press just above the cleft of her bum.

“Nae poking,” Alec breathed out as if he’d heard her reproach - though his heavy voice and his body shifting closer to hers clearly hinted he was still fast asleep. “Aye. Cannae poke.”

  
  


Rose was torn between the desire to laugh at his gruff Scottish brogue he obviously couldn’t master in his sleep, the desire to run away from his rutting hips to spare him the embarrassment when he’d wake up, and the  _ desire _ . Period. The was no mistaking the first flutters of heat pooling in her belly, and her abdomen tensed every so slightly under the warmth of his fingers digging into her skin. His raucous groans sounded much too loud and much too sexy in the silence of the bedroom, his breath much too hot against the nape of her neck, his sole presence much too nerve-wracking. His  _ poking  _ much too exciting. She suddenly regretted not wearing the damned pajama bottoms that could have offered one more barrier against his persistent and oddly regular humping.

 

She reached behind her to splay a hand over his hip - though in that moment she couldn’t really decide if it was to hinder his movements or bring him closer.

  
  


“Alec,” she whispered, not really surprised to find her voice husky and dripping with need. “Alec, wake up.”

  
  


Rose turned around in his arms with careful maneuvers, not to jolt him awake, lest it’d spark his anger, or his grumpiness in the best of cases. The change of position didn’t seem to suit him much, and she chuckled under her breath when he tugged hard on her tee-shirt and shuffled to stick a leg between hers before resuming his stubborn rutting against her thigh. Oh, she could have just entangle herself from his hug, leave him to sleep for the remaining half-hour and pretend this had never happened. But her body was craving for something else entirely.

  
  


“Come on, Alec,” she insisted a bit louder, arching her back away from him. “Wake up.”

“What?” he drawled, half-way between sleep and shallow awareness. “What time is it?”

“Five thirty,” she said after pressing her lips against his forehead. “Or time for a cold shower, probably.”

“Do I smell or something?” he complained, giving her thigh a squeeze as he pulled on it without realizing what he was up to in his slumber.

“It’s not the shower that’s important, it’s the cold,” Rose smiled in the dark, helping him on the way to consciousness with small nips and kisses.

“Oh, fuck’s sake,” he growled loudly as he finally blinked fully awake and his hips stopped moving at once. “Sorry.”

“Well, you did tell me to wear your bottoms,” she shrugged with a tongue-touched grin he couldn’t see but definitely could hear. “I suppose… It’s not entirely your fault.”

“Rose, flirting with me is not helping,” he groaned in annoyance, blushing even harder when his cock twitched in his shorts at the single sound of her melodious laugh. “ _ Really _ not helping.”

“Maybe I don’t want to help,” she teased as her mouth found his in a sloppy kiss that drew another groan from the back of his throat. 

“Rose,” he warned in a growl. “You might want to stop now.”

“Do you want me to? For your information, I know where I’m going with this. One word, Alec. One word and I’ll leave you to your cold shower. I might need one too, though.”

“Are you…? Too?”

“I’m half-naked in bed with a hot Scot who’s been dry-humping my leg for the past fifteen minutes,” she pointed out rather matter-of-factly. “Yes, I am,  _ too _ .”

“An’ you want this?”

“Only if you want it too.”

“Okay, don’t stop, then. If you can.”

  
  


Rose gasped when he seized her by the waist and flipped her onto her back, his lips crashing over hers in a hungry kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth with a sudden urgency and Rose sighed in delight when his lean body covered hers and his obvious arousal pressed against her hip. It might have been a while since he’d been a lover to anyone but he certainly hadn’t forgotten how to make a woman swoon. His fingers trailed burning path down her neck, hooking briefly into the collar of her tee-shirt before going down her chest without really touching her, fisting the hem to pull it up and gain access to the smooth expense of her stomach. She felt like his hands were all over her at once and she tangled her own in the copper mess of his hair. The fact that is was still dark in the bedroom enhanced every single sensation, from his rough stubble as he kissed and nipped his way down to her naked shoulder, to his thumb pulling on the cup her bra to find the already hardened nipple under it and his knee deliciously pressing against her steadily heating core. It was nearly not enough and close to too much. He rubbed his knee up and down and pinched a nipple between his thumb and his index, and  _ God _ , it made her realize just how close she was already. Thank the fifteen minute foreplay he wasn’t even aware had already built her pleasure. And his, judging by the wet patch on his shorts she felt as he bucked his hips against hers again.

  
  
  


“Alec,” she mewled  just as his fingers slipped under the waistband of her knickers to run through her wet folds. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving this, but how about, ha, we keep the slow and romantic for later, yeah?”

“Hm,” he moaned low against her clavicle when her hand dropped to give his positively raging erection a squeeze through his short. “Quick and hard. More than ready. Protection?”

“I’m on the pill. Please, Alec, now.”

“Whatever my Lady wants.”

  
  


Quick, it was. Hard, even more so. He clasped one of his hand around hers and pressed it down hard on the pillow next to her head while the other fumbled to tug his shorts down to his knees. He didn’t waste precious time on removing her knickers an simply pushed them far enough to the side so he could run the head of his engorged cock through her dripping folds. She was more than ready, and he buried himself to the hilt with one swift thrust that was answered by a loud curse from Rose and a grunt of satisfaction of his own. It wasn’t long before she lifted her hips to meet his fast and rough back and forth, his short moans rolling on her chin wet with his moist kisses and missed licks aimed at her mouth. Her nails clawed his shoulder blades through his thin shirt and her ankles crossed in the small of his back to accompany his fast-paced movements.

  
  


“Shit, Rose, you feel so good,” he swore loudly into the small dip between her clavicles. “Not gonna last. Suck.”

  
  


In the fuzz that was her brain she didn’t fully understand that last word - until he pushed two fingers into her mouth and he gave an appreciative growl as she twirled her slick tongue around them. She thought it was just to help him along the way, but then he brought them down to rub tight little circles over her clit and she cried out in heavy pleasure. The pent up passion cracked like whip and she was swept over by the waves of an intense orgasm. Her inner muscles rippled for long seconds and it was all it took for him to thrust hard and deep one last time, his hips coming to a stop as his cock throbbed with each pulse of his release. He collapsed over her with a loud grunt and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, basking in the afterglow of the most consuming climax he’d experienced in years.

 

But that wasn’t even the best part. No. The best part was the way Rose wrapped her arms around him, caressed his quivering arms, peppered soft kisses on the top of his head. He had missed this. Feeling that he belonged with that woman, feeling like they had shared something beyond simple sex - unlike the last times he had had sex with his ex-wife, and even long before everything had gone to Hell, which had mostly been a quick and efficient way to smother the tension and allow them to believe they were fine. Right now, it was so much more than that. An unspoken promise that he wouldn’t be alone as long as she was there with him. It was perfect.

  
  


“Alec?” Rose asked softly, drawing him out of his sweet reverie. “Are you… Alright?”

  
  


It was then that he realized some tears had gathered in the corner of his eyes, and one had probably dripped in the crook of her neck.

  
  


“Aye,” he answered with a quick wipe of his fingers under his eyes. “Sorry, sweat. Not used to so much physical activity in the morning.”

“Okay, though?”

“More than,” he smiled against her shoulder. “Perfect. Although I do need a shower now. I forgot it could be so messy. Join me, eh?”

“I... “ she hesitated, fiddling with a strand of his hair. “I’ll go after you.”

“Fair warning, there won’t be much hot water left when I’m done,” he informed her, slipping a finger under the strap of her bra.

“It… I don’t mind. I’d rather not go with you.”

  
  


Alec didn’t miss the anxiety in her soft whisper and the way she kept avoiding his eyes as if she was scared he’d read something wrong in them.

  
  


“Okay, something you want to share, sweetheart?” he asked - and that term of endearment her let out by mistake sounded both odd and heartwarming in his ears.

“I don’t want you to see me naked,” she shrugged with a hint of embarrassment.

“Rose, we had sex. Aren’t we past that?”

“It’s dark, here. You can’t see me. You can’t see that ugly…  _ Disgusting… _ ”

“What? That ugly what?”

“Scar,” she finished in a breath. “Thoracotomy gone wrong, remember?”

“Ah, aye,” he nodded, brushing a few strands of blond hair away from her face. “Well, here is a suggestion. You show me yours, I’ll show you mine. Then we can have a good relaxing shower, eh?”

“What do you mean, yours?” Rose questioned, squinting against the light of the lamp he finally turned on.

“Shite heart, I have a pacemaker,” he grinned, sitting cross-legged next to her. “So, show me your scar. Can’t be worse than mine.”

  
  


Rose pushed herself up against the headboard of the bed and hesitated a full minute, until his gentle and encouraging look got the better of it. She pulled her too large tee-shirt over her head and breathed out deeply, his eyes zeroing on the bright pink scar that ran from the underside of her left breast and trailed to the left in a half-moon shaped line, almost up to her armpit. It was large, deep, and spoke eloquently of the infection the whole tissue had gone through. She tried to wrap her arm around it in shame, but Alec was quick to grab her wrist with a shake of the head. He waited for her consent and he unclasped her bra, delicately tugging on the straps to free her of the garment. He brushed the length of the scar with his fingertips, unfazed by the heavy rise and fall of her chest and refusing to make any comment on her glorious breasts. He just wanted to show her he wasn’t bothered by it, nor disgusted in the least. She needed the reassurance, and damn, she had already reassured him on so many aspects of his body and personality he would never forgive himself if he couldn’t make her understand she looked perfect as she was.

  
  


“It looks horrible,” Rose breathed out, watching with a pang of revulsion the marred skin.

“ _ You _ look beautiful,” he simply answer, bending forward to press a soft kiss to the swell of her breast. “Scar or not. Stunning. Don’t ever doubt that. And don’t ever doubt me. You look perfect, Rose.”

“Yeah, right,” she sighed.

“Honestly, Rose,” he insisted - and he would insist until she was properly persuaded. “Please, don’t do that to yourself. You’re beautiful, inside and out, and I’ll keep telling you that for as long as you’ll let me. I see you, I don’t see the scar. And I can only see raw beauty. There’s nothing ugly about you. I love your body the way it is.”

“Yeah, okay,” she accepted his truth while not entirely convinced - though his allegations did make her feel much better and fanned the coals of her dying confidence. “What about yours, then? Is it really worse?”

  
  


He only smirked and shed his tee-shirt, looking down at the almost invisible nacre scar that was mostly covered by his chest hair.

  
  


“Much worse, I told you,” he grinned, puffing out his chest and making his ribs and the pacemaker stand out under his skin in the process. “Can’t even brag about it, it’s rubbish.”

“Wanker,” Rose chastised, giving his shoulder a smack. “Are detectives even allowed to blackmail people like that?”

“Only when necessary. Now come on, beautiful, let’s have that shower. I’ll even massage your back if you want me to.”

“Bribe and bribe again,” she giggled as he picked her up in his arms and led her to the bathroom. “And I can’t even tell the police, because  _ you’re  _ the police.”

“And there’s nothing you can do about it, Miss Tyler. Better get used to it. I have the power.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Detective. Make sure the water’s hot enough? I actually hate cold showers. And get me the fluffiest towel you have, please, I have a very sensitive skin.”

“Aye Ma’am.”

  
  


It was when she laughed with a proud peeking out of her tongue and wiggled her eyebrows at him that he understood she’d already proven the power might not  _ really  _ lay in his hands, after all.

  
  


“Minx,” he muttered under his breath as he looked for a clean towel in a cupboard.

“Rude,” she shot back, discarding her knickers and throwing them at his feet. “So, massage?”

  
  


Alec’s jaw dropped at the sight of her fully naked body stepping under the shower spray, and he realized that any notion of power could be thrown out the window. He’d never be the one to wear the pants, police officer or not. And maybe that was one of the many reasons why he loved her.

  
  


* * *

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, finally a new chapter for this little story!
> 
> "New case" but I don't know if you're interested in that plot - if yes, let me know, if not, let me know, it's just so I can plan what to write next depending on the answers! :-)
> 
> Also some fluff - not much, but wait until the next chapter (you'll see where I'm going, hehe)/
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it, please let me know what you think, and thanks a lot for the comments and kudos, they're all very much appreciated!

* * *

 

 

“Morning, Miller,” Alec greeted as he walked to his office, sipping at the boiling hot cup of tea he’d picked up on the way from home. “You alright?”

  
  


Ellie looked up from her file to give him a suspicious gaze, clasping her fingers loosely over a piece of paper.

  
  


“Alright, yeah,” she nodded, squinting her eyes at the way he almost gifted her with a smile. “You?”

“Good, good,” he finally grinned - and that was when Ellie knew something was off.

“Okay, forgive me for asking, sir, but who’s the unlucky winner?” she asked, leaning back into her chair as if she wanted to better appreciate the light blush that rose to his cheeks - oh, yes, she’d been right about this.

“What, I can’t have a private life now?” he muttered, his grin disappearing from his face instantaneously.

“Not complaining, if she can teach you how to say _ good morning _ , please keep her, she’s a godsend,” she playfully teased, handing him a thick file filled with papers. “So, I’m sorry to ruin your good mood, Hardy, but something new’s come up. You won’t like it.”

“Nothing can ever be too simple, eh? What is it, then?” he asked as he sifted through the many pages of the file.

“You know how Bennett’s team always handle the small cases, right? Well, there’s been a series a robberies in town and they’ve been on it for a little more than six months. Eleven crimes in total.”

“So what? They can’t find a bloody thief in a town this small?”

“That, but yesterday night, there was another one. And… Someone died. That old lady that lived next to the field of corn up the path to Leenbridge, Miss Evans. They say she woke up during the night, around two, got scared and had a heart attack. She was found this morning by the postman.”

“God dammit, Miller... Any other bad news to add on top of that?”

“Actually… What happened is unexcusable, really, but you should know that…” Ellie started, fiddling with the edge of the paper sitting on her desk. 

“Know what, Miller?” Alec insisted, his voice a thundering rumble in his throat.

“Miss Evans had called us last week,” she told him as she did her very best to avoid his cold stare. “Said she’d seen some person walking around her house and that she’d like us the come have a look. We…”

“No, there’s no bloody  _ we _ , Miller, just  _ they _ .  _ They  _ were supposed to send protective custody and  _ they  _ didn’t do it. Now  _ we  _ have to deal with the shit they left behind because  _ they  _ were too bloody incompetent to find a wanker who’s robbing wrinkled apples ‘cause hey, they’re rich and either deaf of blind, easy peasy.”

“Whatever, Sir,” she sighed, not surprised to see his good mood had vanished into thin air and that his temper had come back full force - she understood, because she was probably just as angry as he was. “We need to go to the scene, they’re waiting for us.”

“They can wait, I have a call to make,” he grunted, throwing his almost full cup of tea in the bin before heading off to his office. “Fuck’s sake, if people can’t even trust the police, who can they bloody trust, eh? Nevermind, just be ready. I’ll meet you back here in twenty minutes.”

 

***

 

Rose didn’t feel quite comfortable, and the few looks she got while climbing up the stairs to the police station didn’t help with her unease. She knew people in small villages like Broadchurch weren’t exactly friendly with new faces, but it was still unnerving to feel the insistent stares and hear the wary whispers. Her fingers clenched tighter around the handles of her large shopping bag and her purse swung with just a little less conviction on her side. The automatic door opened on a large hall, and she quickly went to the reception so she wouldn’t look more suspicious than strictly necessary. The constable behind the desk greeted her with a smile - finally, someone who didn’t look as if they wanted to kick her out of town - and she answered with a smile of her own. She was rather surprised to see he was young, probably around her age, and she wondered who would ever want to work in such a place. Well, he might have been transferred there without being given much choice, or he might just have lived in Broadchurch all his life, she supposed. He was rather handsome, she thought, with his thick brown hair tugged in wild spikes, his square jaw and sparkling blue eyes. 

  
  


“Hello, pretty lady,” he offered, his smile never leaving his face. “If someone’s done something to you, be assured that I’ll personally find them and bring you justice.”

  
  


Rose raised her eyebrows at him, and a giggle fell from her lips when he puffed out his chest to put his badge on prominent display. 

  
  


“Um, hi,  _ Leon _ , I’m just waiting for DI Hardy,” she answered - and laughed against herself when he deflated faster than a balloon poked with a pin. “He’s expecting me, he should be coming down soon, hopefully.”

“Er, sorry, he’s not coming down,” the constable shrugged, crossing his long fingers over the desk. “He’s out on a new case. Robbery, I believe, him and DS Miller have been on it since this morning.”

“Oh, alright,” Rose sighed, a bit disappointed that Alec hadn’t judged useful to give her a call. “Any idea when he’ll be back?”

“Could be in five minutes or in three hours,” he told her as he picked a note and a pen. “Want me to leave him a message?”

“No, I’ll just wait for a bit, if you don’t mind”

“Not at all,” he shook his head, pointing at a corner where there was an unoccupied table and chair. “You can sit over there, I’ll just have to take your name.”

“Rose, Rose Tyler. Thanks.”

“ _ De nada _ , Miss Tyler. Oh, and just so you know, he’s not in a good mood. If you see him, keep your sentences short and  meaningful, alright?”

  
  


Rose could only nod and thanked him again with a quick bow of the head before she went to the table. She dropped her bags on the floor and leaned in her chair with a heavy puff of air coming out of her lips. The fact that the constable had deemed necessary to warn her about Alec’s mood made her realize that his temper might very well be the only thing that defined him on his workplace. A reputation - not exactly ill-founded, she had to admit - that must stick to him like a second skin, and Rose wouldn’t have been surprised to learn most of his colleagues called him names behind his back. Not surprised, but very bothered. Oh, she knew it was much easier said than done, but she wished people would try to understand him, try to scrape off the surface to find something better underneath. At least she did, before she saw him burst through the automatic door, his strides so long his shoulder hit the glass panel on his way in, too impatient to wait for it to fully open. He looked a bit disheveled and his deep red tie was half-undone, his too large suit made him look even thinner than he was. And he looked positively furious, his whole face contorted into a heavy scowl and his eyes two dark pits of anger shining the the shadow of his eyebrows. 

 

She watched as he was stopped in his course by the constable who pointed at her with his chin, and she fought the urge to look down when Alec rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand over his ready-to-snap features. Instead, she went to him, not really knowing how he’d react. 

  
  


“Hello, A… Um, Detective Hardy,” she greeted him, feeling every pair of eyes glued to them. “I just wanted to know…”

“I’m busy,” he grumbled, tucking a temple of his glasses into the pocket of his jacket. “I don’t have time for this, okay? Just go.”

“Okay,” she breathed out, finally lowering her eyes - and she even doubted he heard her when he stormed off and up the stairs. “Yeah, I’ll just…”

“Miller, get a bloody move on, we have six months’ worth of files to go through,” he barked in the direction of another police officer.

  
  


Rose looked at the woman with dark curls throw him a gaze sharper than daggers and walked to her. She looked just a few years younger than Alec but the dark circles under her eyes and the obvious lassitude witten of her face probably made her look older than she really was. Still, she seemed to be both nice and fierce, and Rose believed she wasn’t one to let Alec step on her shoes, which was good.

  
  


“Sorry about that,” she told her with a shrug of apology. “Better get used to it, he’s… Well, you probably know  already.”

“Yes, I know,” Rose answered nervously tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Just, make sure he eats something for me?”

“Ah, I can try,” Miller smiled, offering her a small pat of sympathy on her shoulder. “Not gonna lie, I’d be better off trying to feed carrots to a lion, so no promises. I’d better go, I don’t want him to have an attack. Nice to meet you, by the way. I’ll see you around.”

  
  


Rose returned the feeling and turned back on her feet to fetch her bags she had abandoned at the table. She was about to head out when Leon waved at her to draw her attention.

  
  


“You alright?” he asked, sliding a glass of water towards her. “I wouldn’t worry too much, he’s got good days too, you know. Not often, I grant you that, but it happens.”

“‘M fine,” she reassured him as she gratefully sipped on her water - she found out her throat had gone a bit dry after that short but raw interaction. “It’s not an easy job, I can’t really hold it against him.”

“Right. So, um, would you like to go out some day? I mean, as friends, you know, to get lunch or something. People my age a rare around here and I miss hanging out a bit.”

“Sure, why not,” she accepted - he seemed to be nice, and she’d hate to miss an opportunity to make friends, should she extend her stay. “Here, that’s my number. Call me whenever you like, I’m not exactly busy right now.”

“Will do,” he grinned, slipping the small piece of paper away in his pocket. “Nice to meet you, Rose. And you’re always welcome here, don’t pay attention to all those old farts who could kill you with one look. Two weeks here and you’ll be part of the community. Sorry, got work to do, but see you later, yeah?”

“Sure. thanks for the water, Leon.”

  
  


Rose offered one last smile and left the station, sighing at the bag holding the food she had prepared for the both of them that she’d have to eat alone. She just hoped he’d come back home at night.

  
  


***

  
  


Alec parked his car in the tiny parking lot at the end of the walkay that lead to his house and let his head fall on the wheel with a tired growl. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and his muscles were sore after so many hours spent walking around the crime scene and pacing around his office making phone calls. The single prospect of going home and having an apology session with Rose was enough to seriously consider sleeping in his car for the night. He knew he’d been a downright arse for telling her off and sending her away without any explanation, and he knew she’d probably want to know more about his reasons, but he didn’t feel quite ready to talk and argue. She’d be angry and hurt, and though he wished nothing more than to fix that mistake, he believed his current state would only make things worse. But then again, if he didn’t want to lose her, he couldn’t simply shrug it off and pretend it hadn’t happened. He needed to make it right.

 

With a resolved sigh, he turned off the ignition and picked up the heavy file he’d brought with him before heading off to his small house. He frowned when he saw the light filtering through the door and Rose, sitting cross-legged on a chair outside. From the distance, he couldn’t see clearly what she was up to, but the closer he got, the more he understood. She was  _ painting _ . She had a brush in one hand, a palette in the other, and a rather large canvas sitting on an easel in front of her. Her tongue was peeking out between her teeth and her nose was all scrunched up, as if she was trying to decide what to do next. He didn’t know why, but Alec felt the anger he had accumulated over the day considerably - not fully - dwindle down. If she heard him approach, she didn’t offer any sign that she had. 

 

Alec bent down to press a kiss on her temple and she simply turned her head to give a kiss into the air, seemingly too enthralled by her work to detach her eyes from it.

  
  


“Hi,” he greeted her, pressing his long fingers against her shoulder.

“Hey,” she answered as she twirled her brush into a blot a blue paint. “There’s a plate in the oven, or there’s the sandwich from lunch in the fridge. You know, in case you’re hungry, no pressure.”

  
  


He blew a discreet blessing at those words, thrilled to find out Rose wouldn’t be one to annoy him with  _ eat  _ and  _ you need to gain weight _ and  _ how can you live like this _ . That, and she also didn’t say anything that had to do with his lamentable behaviour at the police station. That managed to smother the remnants of anger and his shoulders imperceptibly slumped down under the wave of relief and gratefulness that washed over him. 

  
  


“I’m not,” Alec shrugged, looking at the landscape she was painting. “Rose, that’s… Beautiful.”

“Not really,” she sighed, putting her brush down after adding a dot of light blue on the painted sky. “It’s been a while since I painted and I’m out of practise.  _ And  _ they only had rubbish stuff at the shop, the colours don’t even blend properly. But well, I kinda needed to occupy my hands.”

“So, are you an artist or something?” Alec asked, daring to wrap his free arm around her chest. 

“I suppose I am,” Rose smiled as she brushed her lips against the back of his hand. “You know, the day of the accident, I was late for an interview at the University of Arts. I was going to be a drawing professor, just had my degree and they wanted to hire me.”

“Oh, really? I’m… Impressed. That’s amazing, Rose.”

“Yea, thanks.”

  
  


She finally shifted on her chair to face him and slipped a hand to the nape of his neck to draw him into a soft kiss he happily answered. It wasn’t much, but just warm and gentle enough to make him understand she wasn’t resentful, just enough for the last tiny cloud of tension to dissipate.

  
  


“So, um, I don’t know if you’re much into it, but I also got you some massage oil. Thought you might need it, you know, after today.”

“Er, I’ve never really tried,” he admitted with a grimace - he doubted he’d like having his muscles crushed and his skin stinking of flowers, but she had already made a tremendous effort not to make any mention of his behaviour and spare him the dreaded apology speech. And she was trying to be nice, which was much more than he could have hoped for. He owed her that, and more. He couldn’t refuse - and, who was to say, maybe he’d enjoy it.

“Well, what do you think?” she raised an eyebrow all while cleaning up her stuff. “Don’t have to, ‘s just an offer.”

“Aye, no, we can try.”

“Good,” she nodded with a bright smile, following him to the living room with her painting supplies tucked under her arm. “Just take everything off and crash on the bed, I’ll be right back.”

“Aye Ma’am. And, sweetheart?”

“Hm, what?” she queried, head buried under the couch - she had thought it better to put her stuff away somewhere Alec wouldn’t see it, lest he’d be miffed about having his living-room buried under art supplies. “Ah, wait, no. Don’t say you’re sorry. I know, I get it, it’s fine, you’re forgiven, alright? Don’t forget to put the spread on the bed, the sheets are clean.”

  
  


Alec simply nodded and disappeared in the bathroom, quite unable to believe his luck.

 

* * *

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bascially, a massage that goes wrong - well, right, really. Hehe.
> 
> Get ready for some jealous Alec in the next chapter, but probably some fluff too!
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy it!

* * *

 

Alec went to the bathroom and quickly shed his clothes, relieved to be free of the loose tie that had felt increasingly tighter during the day. He looked at his face into the mirror, and noticed with a frown the dark circles he had managed to keep at bay for a few weeks were already back. Not really surprising, given the long, very long day he’d spent, but he still wished exhaustion didn’t take such a toll on his features that were scrawny and tired by nature. He splashed some cold water on his face in a hopeful attempt to wash away some of the fatigue - if anything, it woke him up a little, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He walked bad to his bedroom and immediately spotted the small black suitcase against the wall. He pondered for a moment how it made him feel, but the small smile that tugged as his lips was enough of an answer. As asked, he spread a large plaid over his duvet and plopped down on the bed, burying his face in a pillow with a quiet sigh of contentment. 

  
  


“Ready?” Rose asked as she softly padded into the room, a bright orange bottle in her hands.

“Aye,” he answered, throwing a look back as she climbed onto the bed and straddled his thighs. “Don’t go too hard on me, eh?”

“ _ Nae _ ,” she playfully answered with a poke on his side. “Just tell me if it’s too hot for you.”

“Can I tell you if it stinks, too?” he grinned, watching her rub the oil onto her hands.

“You’re a simple man, Hardy, I kinda knew you weren’t much into flowers or fruits. Unscented,  _ Sir _ , so your over-sensitive nose should be fine.”

“Hm, good. It does smell a bit like baby oil, though,” he pointed out as the soft fragrance reached his nostrils.

“Oi, would you just shut up and let me do my thing?”

“Sorry. Please, do.”

  
  


Alec didn’t really know what to expect, and his hissed in pain when her fingers pressed just below the nape of his neck, her thumbs drawing large, deep circles on his skin. He knew he was rather tense, but this was beyond anything he could have imagined. Her fingers still felt good, pressing into the knots and working to untie them with the help of the warm oil, and a blush swallowed his face when he moaned against his will, the heel of her hands deliciously massaging the tightness away from his shoulder blades. One tangle of muscles tenderly smoothed down after the other, Alec realized he was actually enjoying himself. It was amazing to feel the tension suavely being rubbed out by her gentle hands, and he had to close his eyes to better appreciate the heat and the softness of her fingers. 

  
  


“Oh God, right there,” he rasped into his pillow when her hands found a particularly hard knot.

“I know, I feel it,” she softly reassured him, using her knuckles to dig into the spot. “Alright?”

  
  


Her only answer was a loud groan and a sudden tension in his thigh, which probably meant his leg had risen up from the bed in a mindless reflex of delight. Rose smiled, and kept going, careful not to miss any sore spot - which would have been quite impossible given that his whole back was a intricate maze of twisted and knotted muscles. She hadn’t really noticed before, but his shoulders were quite square, and despite his thin body he was rather muscular - the too large suits did a better job at concealing his strength than his skin. The only thing that pointed to his leanness was the way his vertebrae were moulded under his pale skin, drawing shadows all the way down to the small dips in the small of his back. Rose loved every inch of it. He was a beautiful man. 

 

Alec sighed softly when she finally reached the remaining sore patches just above the line of his boxers, and he had to admit the whole experience had superseded the best of his expectations. Not only could he physically feel the tension leaving his body, but it also made him feel oddly at peace, more relaxed than he’d been in years. Each brush of her warm fingers swept his annoyance away, each knot that she erased with her dexterous hand brought a bit of lingering anger with it, each pressure of her palms crushed down his worries. He loved it - but he would never openly admit it, though it was clear she knew just how good she was making him feel.

  
  


“Turn over?” she asked softly, rising up from his thighs so he could roll onto his back.

“I get the point of the back,” Alec said, looking up into her eyes that were studying his face. “I don’t really get the point of the front.”

“I don't have to do it if you don’t want me to,” she answered, bending over to give his lips a gentle kiss. “You’ve had a rough day, I just want to make sure you’re properly relaxed.”

  
  


Alec nodded - might as well go for the full thing now that he was smelling of baby oil and half glistening with the greasy product. He would have gladly closed his eyes, if it weren't for what he could see in the depth of her own. Something hard to describe, half-way between adoration and reassurance, with just a hint of cheekiness, and he watched intently as she squeezed some more oil in the crook of her palm, a soft smile on her lips. She started to massage his shoulders, just as she shifted higher up on his hips, and he exhaled a heavy sigh when she bit her lip and rolled her own. 

  
  


“I don’t think this is very professional, Miss Tyler,” he groaned, her hands sliding down over his clavicles to stop against his chest.

“Shut up, Hardy,” she retorted, running the pad of her thumb very lightly over the pacemaker tucked under his skin. “Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes,” Alec answered with a disheartened shrug. “But not right now, no.”

“Good.”

  
  


Her tongue peeked out of her grin and her fingers circled his pecs, tighter and tighter, until her thumb brushed against his nipples and drew a ragged moan from his lips. Alec was starting to understand where she wanted to go with this, and it definitely wasn’t the kind of massage he had expected. Not that he was complaining much. 

  
  


“You have very talented fingers, Rose,” he breathed out, choking on his exhale when she pinched his nipples and scraped her nails against the coarse smattering of hair.

“You haven't seen the half of it,” she smirked with another rock of her hips above his burgeoning erection. “Bet I can get you there with just my fingers.”

“That’s a bet I’m more than willing to lose, sweetheart.”

“Hm, sweetheart,” she repeated, mulling the words on the tip of her tongue. “Like it. What should I call you, Alec?”

  
  


He wanted to tell her he’d never much enjoyed being called sweet words, but the words in his mouth were replaced by a grunt when she ostentatiously arched the small of her back to rub her heat against the growing bulge in his boxers. Her fingers hovered over his ribs, caressed the sharp edges of his ribcage down to the small dips shaped by his prominent hip bones.

  
  


“Sweetie,” she offered, but grimaced at the sound of it. “No, not quite right.”

  
  


Alec shivered deep down to his bones and the desire that had been slowly but steadily building up roared to life when Rose slipped a finger under the elastic of his briefs. She teased the triangle of hair that thinned up to his navel and dug her fingers into his skin, shuffling back over his thighs - not without grinding down on him one last time.

  
  


“Hottie,” she then suggested, just as she started to brush the back of her fingers on the inside of his thighs. “What do you think, hot detective?”

“I…” he began, but had to stop mid-thought when her deft, cheeky hands slipped under his boxers to rest at the juncture of his legs. “Whatever.”

“Hm, you’re right,” she murmured, humming softly to herself. “That’s not really nice. True, but it lacks… Something.”

  
  
  


A low rumble thundered in his throat and she soothed the quiver of his legs with one last caress before she lifted his boxers and motioned for him to lift his hips so she could slip them down to his knees. Alec blushed deeply, a mix of embarrassment at the knowledge this was the first time she was seeing him and of stupid manly pride at the appreciative look she gave his hard erection. He hadn't quite realized the eroticism of her touch had affected his body so much already, but if his cock was any clue, he was already more than aroused. 

  
  


“Honey,” Rose continued, licking her lips as she wrapped her fingers around his base and toyed with his balls with her little finger. “I think I like this one. Sweet and strong. Are you enjoying yourself, honey?”

“Hm,” was the only growl he could manage - it seemed her fingers would definitely be enough to shut him up and drive him there.

“Don’t hold back, yeah?”

  
  


Following her order, he let his head dig deeper into his pillow and decided to appreciate the show she was putting on. He hadn’t taken any notice of her clothes, but that had been a mistake. Her large v-neck tee-shirt hung low on her shoulders and revealed an enticing cleavage of full, naked breast, her smooth skin almost glowing under the pale light of the lamp. Her shorts had ridden up her thighs and the feel of her bare legs against his was exquisite, warm and soft. Her blond hair was falling in elegant locks over her shoulders and her eyes shone with that glint of love overshadowed by a thin cloud mischievousness. She was beautiful, and sexy, and that woman could get anything she wanted from him. 

 

Rose finally gave is length a full stroke, her thumb gathering the small bead of precum at his tip before sliding down, slowly, so slowly her jerked his hips up in an attempt to alleviate his throbbing need. She gave the side of his bum a gentle slap in retaliation and tightened her grip on his hard cock.

  
  


“Don’t hold back, but be patient,” she chastised with a deft rotation of her wrist.

“I am being patient,” he grunted, searing desire pooling in his belly at the sight of her warm little fingers on him. “Please, Rose, don’t torture me.’

“Since you’ve learnt how to say  _ please _ , I suppose I can make an effort.”

  
  


Rose pumped his lightly pulsing cock a bit faster and grinned at the obscene curse he groaned, his hips struggling to remain perfectly still. There was something indescribably hot about seeing this grumpy detective lose himself to her hands, knowing that only she got to see him without all the boundaries he locked himself into on his job. No one would ever get to see how his little teeth bit into his pouty lower lip, how his throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed his moans, how his eyebrows knitted in pleasure. She watched the rise and fall of his strong chest quicken, his fingers dig into the plaid, his abs contracting and relaxing with each of his laboured breaths.She listened to the sweet, erotic sounds filtering between his clenched teeth, she basked into the feeling of his hot, velvety member in her hand, and she found it hard to master her own arousal. 

  
  


“Faster,” he suddenly muttered, his head lifting up again to watch her work with eyes filled to the brim with lust. “Harder. Yes, God yes.”

  
  


Rose complied with his demand and his cock grew even harder at the quick, choppy rhythm she picked up - he obviously wasn’t into tender much. A man who liked better rough than sweet, fiery passion rather than gentle desire. She should have known. She was almost tempted to test his limits, but the way his hips started to follow her movements and his breathing turned into an irregular succession of whimpers and growls made it quite clear he was close already. This was confirmed when, seemingly wasn’t entirely satisfied with her pace and the force of her grip, his hand flew to hers and tightly wrapped around hers to guide her movements.

  
  


“Harder,” he repeated, the chocolate brown of his eyes swallowed by the black of his pupils.

“‘Kay,” Rose breathed out, following the rapid, harsh rhythm he had set. “Better?”

  
  


Alec threw his head back against the pillow and ground his teeth together, the added strength of her grip just what he needed to feel the simmering desire in the pit of his loins start to boil and shoot through his veins. He gasped in surprise and delight when Rose cupped his balls in the palm and massaged them gently, without going any easier on his now copiously leaking cock.

  
  


“Oh, Jesus, Rose, this is  _ so _ good,” Alec mumbled, is hands going to grasp the headboard in a desperate move to anchor himself. “Yes, just like… God, God, yes.”

  
  


Rose accompanied her last stroke with a tight brush of her thumb on his engorged tip, a light squeeze of his ball and a nimble flick of her wrist. Alec cried out her name and pulled on the headboard as he rode his release, his cock wildly throbbing in her hand and his seed spurting over her fingers and his stomach, his breath turning ragged and quick, a few curses falling out of his mouth.

  
  


“Bloody Hell,” he murmured to himself, taking a moment to rien his roaring heartbeat and quivering limbs. 

  
  


When he opened his eyes, he watched this beautiful, selfless woman wipe the mess from his skin with a soft, humid flannel and meticulous gestures, careful not to cause him any discomfort - from what little she had gathered thanks to her previous experiences, it wasn’t a good idea to tease oversensitive masculine attributed after sex. Once done, she pulled his boxers back up over his hips and plopped down next to him.

  
  


“Alright?” she asked as she wrapped herself around him and nuzzled his cheek with the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you liked it that way. Next time, I’ll know.”

“Sweetheart, this was wonderful,” he reassured her, cupping her jaw in his palms to plant a languid kiss on her full lips. “We still have a lot to learn about each other, but sexual preferences are very far from being my priority. That you wanted to even do this, it’s… I can’t ask for more, Rose. You’re perfect.”

“‘S nothing,” she shrugged, simply happy that she hadn’t mucked everything up. “I just wanted to make you feel better.”

“Job well done,” he smiled against her chin. “Seriously, Rose, you’re… You’re amazing. And… I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m sorry for telling you off like that, you know, earlier. I was angry and stressed out, but that’s no excuse. So, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Alec, I understand,” she sighed, shifting awkwardly for a minute to throw the duvet over their bodies and nestle deeper into the mattress. “Comes with the job, I suppose. But you need to learn how to use a phone.”

“You never gave me your number,” he pointed out, wrapping her arms around her so she could cuddle against his chest. “But I get your point. I’ll do better, eh?”

“Hm, you can try,” Rose giggled - she knew would always be fundamentally the same, but it wouldn't irk her if he managed to improve his temper a bit. “So, rough day again tomorrow?”

“Aye, Miller and I have to shovel some heavy shit the second team has swept on our carpet. Why, did you have plans?”

“Yep, but they don’t really involve you. I’m going out tomorrow night with that constable, Leon? You probably know him, he’s nice. And he knows how to use a phone, so there’s that.”

“You’re going out with  _ Leon _ ?” he asked, barely able to contain his surprise - the unpleasant kind - and a spark of something - the wrong kind - that lit in his stomach.

“Just want to meet people, don’t get your panties in a twist. We’re going to the hotel bar, and I might just sleep there. I don’t want to wake you up in the middle of the night, you’ll need your sleep if tomorrow’s like today. Is that alright?”

“Uh, sure, why not,” Alec shrugged before he pressed a quick kiss on her temple. “That could be nice. Leon’s a good bloke, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of fun with him.”

“Yeah, think so. So, goodnight, Alec. I’ll see you tomorrow before you leave, yeah?”

“‘Kay. Goodnight, sweetheart.”

  
  


Alec would definitely  _ not  _ spend a good night, torn between the love he held for that little woman cuddled up on his side and the sudden realization that this love walked hand in hand with treacherous doubt and jealousy. 

 

* * *

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, I'm back, I'm so sorry for the unexpected hiatus!
> 
> One chapter for this story, then I'll finish Getting Through and try to write a bit of Across the Universe (I had an idea for that one, and trust me when I say this story will be long!).
> 
> Anyway, here goes, I hope you'll like it - and hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to get posted!
> 
> Thanks a lot for all the comments and kudos I got since I last updated this, you are all amazing!

* * *

 

 

For what seemed to be the hundredth time within the short span of two hours, she heard him mumble under his breath and watched this peculiar grimace pull on the corner of his lips. Not that she minded much, she was used to that kind of moodiness, but he usually tried to hide it. Not that day. Ever since they’d met in his office to start digging into a thick dossier gathering the clues they had so far, he’d made close to no effort to disguise his grunts into coughs or pretend to sniff to cover his annoyance.

 

She slapped a hand over the map they were studying from up close with a weary sigh and waited for him to look at her.

  
  


“Okay, whatever’s bothering you, spit it out Hardy,” Ellie ordered with the kind of stern look only ignorant idiots usually dared to aim at the detective. “You’re not focused and we’re getting nowhere.”

“I’m perfectly focused,” he glared at her, stabbing a blue pin at the corner of a street. “And nothing’s bothering me.”

  
  


Ellie could only snort at those words and leaned back into her chair to sip on her coffee.

  
  


“You’d be so easy to crack during an interrogation, Hardy,” she chuckled, not impressed by the storm raging in his eyes. “Some people are open books, easy to read. You’re a one page kid story that lost its cover. Is this about your girlfriend?”

“How do you even know about her?” he frowned, his fingers digging imperceptibly harder against their map.

“Met her yesterday,” Ellie shrugged as she unrolled a red woollen string to tie it around a pin. “That blonde woman? I mean, I suppose she is. She seemed to care about you, which is probably more than you deserved after speaking to her like that. Isn’t she too…”

“ _ Young _ ?” Alec finished her question through a growl of resentment.

“I was going to say  _ nice _ , actually, given that you’re a wanker and she seemed to be an absolute sweetheart. Is that why you’re all moody again? Her age?”

“She’s turning twenty-six next month, Miller. I’ve just turned forty-four.”

“So? She’s younger, sure, but if she’s sticking up with you she must have her reasons. Good reasons. I mean, with your too large Primark suits and your banger Clio that probably dates back to the eighteenth century, no way she’s a golddigger. You have close to no friends, so she’s not after your contacts either. And she did come all the way to this crap town to be with you. Just saying, Hardy, but I think you got lucky, so why can’t you just enjoy it?”

“If you really must know, she’s going out with Leon tonight,” he sighed in defeat.

“I see,” Ellie nodded, the reasons for his sulk suddenly much clearer. “And you know about this because…”

“She just told me.”

“There goes your answer, Sir.’

“What bloody answer, Miller? She’s going out with a guy her age to have drinks and she’s staying at a hotel overnight because, quote, _ I don’t want to disturb your sleep in the middle of the night.  _ Excuse-me if that roughly translates into  _ I’m gonna blow some steam with a hot bloke while your old arse gets its fill of sleep. _ ”

“But she told you. It’s not like she went behind your back or tried to hide it from you. She’s young, Hardy, and she hardly knows anyone around here. It’s only natural she’d try and make some friends. Socialize, a concept I know you’re unfamiliar with, but that’s just how normal people work. She was honest with you, and trust me, honesty is the only thing that matters.”

“Aye, you’re probably right,” he shrugged as he reached inside his pocket to fetch his glasses. “Oh, darn.”

  
  


Ellie grinned as he searched his pockets thoroughly, going over the same ones as if they’d magically appear if he groaned enough curses, but to no avail. She knew they were supposed to go through the small mountain of files still stacked over his desk and he’d probably turn blind before midday if he didn’t have the precious glasses - and the last thing she needed was one Hardy with a raging headache piling over his currently unstable mood. She picked up his phone with a smile and handed it to him with a conniving smile.

  
  


“Fine,” he gave up, squinting to better see the screen and click on the newly added name.

  
  


He only had to wait two tones before her sweet voice fell into his ear, and he did his very best to avoid Ellie’s eyes, staring at him avidly as if she was dying to hear how the interaction would go.

  
  


“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted, fiercely ignoring the blush he felt swallowing his cheeks. “Still at home?”

“Oh my, you do know how to use a phone,” Rose answered, her grin filtering even through the phone. “Yes, still home, anything you need?”

“I left my glasses on the table, do you think you could bring them over at the station?”

“‘Course,” she agreed - and her heard some ruffling of clothes as she made her way to the living-room. “Yep, gottem. I’ll be here in, say, fifteen minutes?”

“Thanks. Just come to my office , second door on the left at the top of the stairs. I’ll let the reception know you’re coming.”

“‘Kay, see you in a bit,  _ honey _ ,” she teased before she hung up.

  
  


Alec could only blush harder at the chuckle he let inadvertently escape.

  
  


***

  
  


Rose was thankful the door to the station was an automatic one, the cardboard tray holding the two cups of steaming coffee precariously balanced in one hand, the other busy holding her purse and a bag full of pastries.

  
  


“Hi, Leon,” she greeted the constable with a smile, blowing on a strand of blond hair falling over her eye out of the way.

“Hey, Rose,” he grinned back, slipping a visitor badge around her neck. “You’re clear to go, if you’re still up for tonight that is.”

“Of course I am. Eight by the hotel, was it?”

“Yep. You’d better go, that DI doesn’t like waiting. I’ll see you later.”

“See ya, Leon,” she winked, heading for the flight of stairs.

  
  


Rose stopped a moment at the large glass panel opening on his office, the curtains pulled open enough to get a clear view of his tall body leaned over his desk. He was trailing fingers over a large map of the town, pointing at pins and scratching the back of his head, seemingly deep into a serious conversation with the woman she had met the day before. She knocked a knuckle against the cold glass to draw his attention and smiled back when he offered a curl of his lips. Rose didn’t realize every other employee in the open space were staring at her, mouths gaping and eyes wide  as if she might have been some kind of supernatural entity. She simply craned her neck when he bent to press a chaste, quick kiss on her lips after he opened the door and let her in.

  
  


“Hiya,” Rose offered to the woman, putting her coffees and her bag on the desk.

“This is my DS, Ellie Miller,” Alec introduced with a disinterested wave of the hand. “Miller, this is Rose.”

“Nice to put a name on that face,” Ellie smiled with a quick shake of the hand. “Hope he’s not too hard on you.”

“Could be worse,” Rose chuckled as she rummaged through her purse to fetch his glasses. “Brought you some coffee and food, thought you might need it. And here are your magnifying lenses, Alec. A wonder you didn’t get lost on your way to work this morning.”

“Oi, I’m not blind,” he retorted, and he frowned when she handed him not only his case but a small plastic vial. “Just short-sighted. A little. And that’s the first time I left them home.”

“Yeah, and that’s the first time you forgot this, too, I suppose,” she said with a purposeful look at the pill he hadn’t taken in the morning - he was thankful she didn’t make any more comments in front of his coworker.

“We’re just left wondering how he survived without you,” Ellie laughed as he adjusted the thin framed glasses on the bridge of his nose and swallowed his medication with a gulp of coffee.

“He’s tougher than he looks, he doesn’t need me,” Rose said with a smile, giving the small of his back a discreet brush of her fingers. “And he saved me, so it’s hard for me to judge his survival skills, you see. I just know I survived thanks to him. I probably need more saving that he does.”

“Let’s not get emotional,” Alec interjected with a half-hearted grunt, though he gently squeezed her hand at her kind words. “Thanks for all this, Rose, but…”

“You’ve got work to do, I get it. Nice to meet you, Ellie, I hope we can grab some lunch one of these days. We’ll catch up later, yeah?”

  
  


Rose gave the back of his hand a last caress, planted a kiss on his stubbled cheek and shook Ellie’s hand one more time before she disappeared. Ellie had never grinned so much than she was in that moment, watching with an amused shaked of the head her boss clear his throat several times and pretend he wasn’t embarrassed by the unusual display of affection.

  
  


“What?” Alec mumbled before he stuffed half a croissant in his mouth. 

“Just wondering what spell you used on her,” she said, leaning back into her chair. “Seriously, Hardy, I’ve never seen a woman look at a man, much less you, like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re literally the man of her dreams. She  _ adores  _ you.”

“Yeah, right,” he dismissed, sweeping a crumb of pastry off the corner of his mouth. “Look at me, a real prince charming.”

“You can’t judge what she thinks of you, you know. Instead of trying to prove you’re not what she needs, you’d better make sure you keep being what she wants. She’s good for you, Hardy, don’t let her go.”

“We’ve been together two days, Miller, we’ll see how much she  _ adores  _ me in a month,” Alec shrugged.

“Oh, you’ll see. By the way, you can sleep tonight. No way she’s after Leon, trust me.”

“If you say so, Miller…”

  
  


Somehow, Alec knew he’d actually sleep better than he had feared. A smile crossed his lips as he sipped on his coffee, the steam momentarily fogging his glasses.

  
  


***

  
  


Rose straightened her white blouse and tucked the hems into her black jeans, puffed out her hair and wiped a smudge of mascara at the corner of her eye. It was well into the seventh hour of the afternoon and she’d soon need to go. She was thrilled to go out, meet new people, have some fun, maybe dance a little - all those things she had stopped doing after the accident. Just as she flicked the light off in the bathroom, she heard the front door open and one of his signature growls echo in the living-room.

  
  


“I thought you’d be home later,” she said as she joined him to give him a hug and a kiss on the side of his neck.

“That a problem?” Alec asked, his tone a tad more gruff than he had intended.

“‘Course not,” she chastised with a slap on his shoulder. “You need to stop seeing evil everywhere, Hardy, I’m not one of your suspects.”

“Aye, sorry, sweetheart. Ready to go, then?”

“Yep,” she nodded, taking a step back to show him her choice of clothes. “How does that look? I didn’t want to put something too revealing, you know. Don’t want him thinking he has a shot.”

  
  


A pleasant warmth ran through him at those reassuring words, and his mouth drew into a smile. He took in the way her hair fell in elegant curls over her shoulders, her plump lips, her sparkling eyes. The first three buttons of her blouse were undone, the cleavage they created just enough for him to reminisce what lay underneath, the white material was pulled tight over her stomach, her skinny jeans moulding her perfectly sculpted legs. He understood this wasn’t supposed to be sexy, but somehow, it was. Probably a side-effect of his adoration for this woman.

 

He crossed the distance between them with two large strides and hooked his thumb in the loops of her jeans, brushing his lips on the line of her jaw.

  
  


“You do know you’re beautiful and hot whatever you’re wearing, right?” he breathed out, grinning against her skin when she curled her fingers in his hair and released a shaky sigh. 

“Alec, that is not the point,” she murmured, both wanting to step back and melt into his body. “I just want to know if this meets your approval.”

“Hm, it could,” Alec nodded as he poked the tip of his tongue against her pulse point all while pushing her back against the nearest wall. “It just lacks a little something.”

“And what would that be?” Rose asked though a heavy breath, though she had a fairly good idea of what he had in mind. “Just so you know, I need to leave in ten minutes if I don’t want to be late.”

“More than enough time, then.”

  
  


Rose moaned deep into her throat as he pressed his strong body against hers, effectively trapping her against the wall, and pushed a knee up between her thighs. He tutted when she went in search of friction against his leg and drew back, his teeth gently scraping down her neck. One of his hand found its way to the back her skull to pull her head back, the other cupped a breast over the layers of clothing. His lips closed around a small patch of skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder and sucked it into his mouth, the pungent taste of her perfume sticking to his tongue. Rose felt a shiver roll down her spine, as much because of the hot wetness of his mouth as his intention. She had known he would be the possessive kind and she wasn’t surprised by his need to mark her, but it didn’t make it any less arousing. He gave her skin one last, hard suckle and tore his lips with a wet pop away from the reddening patch of skin she was sure would turn purple within a mere minutes.

  
  


“There, much better,” he proudly grinned, circling the growing hickey with the pad of his thumb.

“So that was your plan,” she close to planted, gulping down some fresh air before he could nip her bottom lip. “Getting me all flustered so I’d come home sooner?”

“No. Don’t want him thinking he has a shot, do we?”

“What made you think you had a shot with me, Detective?” she taunted as she readjusted her blouse.

“You… Flirted with me?” he offered, a bit taken aback by her unexpected question.

“And do you think I have any intention of flirting with Leon?” she raised an eyebrow at him, playfully loosening his tie.

“No?”

“Hm, good answer,” she nodded with a smile, tugging on the tie to draw him into a quick but deep kiss. “Stop feeling so insecure, Alec, I promise I only have eyes for you, yeah?”

“Can you come back here, then?” he asked with a half-sheepish, half-hopeful shrug. “I’d rather you woke me up than stayed at the hotel, to be honest.”

“‘Course I can, darling. Whatever makes you feel better. I’ll just text you when I’m leaving the bar and I’ll try not to be too late. I’d say probably around midnight, but I’ll keep in touch if we stay longer.”

“I don’t care when you come back, as long as you do.”

“I will, I promise,” she assured him, scratching her fingertips against his rough stubble. “I left a plate in the oven, if you want. You should eat. Get some fuel, you know. I’m coming back to my man tonight after all.”

  
  


Alec found himself unable to answer her kiss, too lost in the mental imagery that flooded from this comment, and watched just a little dumbfounded as she pulled her leather jacket over her shoulders and grabbed her purse with the kind of tongue-touched grin he loved.

  
  


“See you later, honey,” she smiled with a blown-kiss as she stepped through the door and disappeared behind it.

  
  


For the first time in quite some time, Alec ate a full dinner.

 

* * *

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter for this little story!  
> Basically angst, but it'll get much better in the next chapter if you get my meaning, hehe!
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

* * *

 

 

_ [Just leaving. Be there in 15 min.] _

 

Alec looked at the text that popped open on his mobile screen above the frame of his glasses, then at the clock on the wall. Not even twenty to eleven. He picked up his phone with a frown, surprised - no,  _ worried  _ \- that she would be home so soon. Well, it was already an hour too late for him, and with only a file filled to the brim with useless statements to occupy his mind, it was becoming increasingly harder to keep his eyes open. But to her, it was early. Too early, maybe. He had to make sure. So, he texted her back.

 

_ [You alright?] _

 

He knew what the answer would be, but he still waited for the phone to buzz into his palm and get the confirmation.

 

_ [Yes. Home soon.] _

  
  


Rose shoved her phone back in her purse and dabbed a paper tissue under her eyes, hoping her make-up hadn’t smeared around too much. She put it under a ray of moonlight, and saw it was almost entirely covered in black stains. With a dejected sigh, she threw her tissue in a nearby bin and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Make-up or not, Alec would probably notice her red eyes anyway. She could only wish he wouldn’t think she was drunk - because she most definitely wasn’t. Drunk on fright, maybe.

 

_ Rose is just a little nervous as she stands near the entrance of the hotel, waiting for Leon to arrive. She tugs on her leather jacket, makes sure her hair hasn’t gone astray because of the wind, checks if her phone and her wallet are where they are supposed to be, and she waits. It’s not long before he arrives, and she’s relieved to see he hasn’t made any particular efforts regarding his choice of clothes - simple jeans, a white shirt opened on a rock band tee-shirt, old sneakers. He just smiles and draw her into a quick, friendly hug, then opens the door and motions for her to go inside. _

 

_ For having spent two nights in that hotel, Rose knows her way around it and she doesn’t make a fool of herself like she did the first time - namely, mistaking the door to the loo with the door to the bar. There’s that. They stop by the bar and order their drinks - Rose goes for a light beer she knows she can nurse for a good two hours, the last thing she wants is to get home tipsy. _

  
  


_ “So, Rose, what brings you around here?” Leon asks as they sit at a round table dimly light by green-shaded lamp. _

_ “Well, long story short, I had an accident back in London,” she starts, running her index on the edge of her glass. “Alec… I mean, Detective Hardy was there and he… Helped me. I came her ‘cause I needed to get away from the city and I thought… I could thank him, y’know. Two birds with one stone. And I decided to stay.” _

_ “So you really are dating the bloke, aren’t you?” _

_ “Why? Do you want to try your luck with me?” _

_ “Hell no, I intend to keep both my job and my balls, thank you very much,” he laughs into his glass of whiskey. “It’s just weird, is all. You two look so... Different. Like, the exact opposite.” _

_ “Opposites attract, isn’t that what they say?” Rose smiles, sipping on her beer. “And we’re not even that different, you know. I know he has his… Temperament. But if you get to know him, he’s actually a very nice man. Kind and caring.” _

_ “A good shag, too?” he smirks, playfully shoving her shoulder.  _

_ “I’m gonna use my joker on that one,” she giggles - and she realizes she might very well have a good time and make a good friend. _

  
  


Rose hurried along the pavement, making sure to walk as close to the balustrade as she could, keeping her hand close to the railing, just in case she might need to throw herself overboard. It was dark, the lampposts had flickered out not so long ago, probably because no one in this tiny town was supposed to be outside at this hour. It shouldn’t have made much more of a difference. The town  _ was  _ deserted and she had never been one to be scared - came with having spent her childhood and most of her teenage years in an estate, she supposed. No, she wasn’t scared of the people.

 

A heavy shudder ran through her and her hand clung to the railing as she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes firmly closed to keep her tears in. She waited for the headlights to fade in the distance, for the sound of the engine to die. And when the car was gone, she cursed herself for her stupidity and started walking again. Her phone buzzed in her bag and she wondered if it could be Alec again. Maybe an offer to pick her up - which she would absolutely refuse, the last thing she wanted in that moment was to get inside a car, or even near a car, or anything that had an engine for that matter. Still, she looked at the new text, and a small, sad smile tugged at her lips.

 

_ [Sorry he was a dick. Get home safe.] _

 

Well, at least he understood. Or tried to. Maybe he could really be her friend after all.

  
  


_ “So, an artist?” Leon says as he comes back to the table with another glass - Rose herself isn’t even half-way through her first. _

_ “Paintings, mostly,” she answers, fetching her hone in her purse to show him a few photographs of her works. “I was about to be a uni teacher in London, but… Well, it’s kinda been postponed ‘cause of the accident.” _

_ “Those are good,” he nods with an impressed rise of his eyebrows. “You should check out the gallery in Penporth, you’d like it. Could even exhibit your stuff, I’m sure people would buy those.” _

_ “Hm, maybe,” she smiles, grateful for the compliment. “What about you, then? What do you do when you’re not playing secretary at the police station?” _

_ “Rude,” he huffs, though his grin clearly shows he’s not bothered. “Might surprise you, but I’m an excellent mountain bike rider. Won the region’s cross country race last year.” _

_ “Is there another competition this year?” _

_ “There is, but can’t compete,” he shrugs with a disappointed sigh. “Pulled a muscle, doctor said it wouldn’t be wise to ride for a few months. We could still go, if you want. It’s good fun, and you could give it a go. I’ll lend you my bike.” _

_ “No way, I’m rubbish on a bike,” she laughs as she remembers the day she broke her arm while riding her small pink bike - well, riding, she hadn’t even started pedalling when she fell. “I’d just end up in a ditch and break it.” _

_ “Ha, not very sporty, are you? Doesn’t matter, we could still enjoy the show. So, wanna go for a fag?” _

 

_ Rose hasn’t smoked for a long time, and while she doesn’t really miss it, she accepts.  _

  
  


She was relieved to see the little house at the end of the walkway, the light filtering through the door a reassuring beacon that guided her steps. Her steps grew quicker, the desire, the need to get to safety stronger than basic logic and reason. She rummaged through her purse to find another tissue in a vain attempt to wipe most of the mascara and eyeliner she knew had melted around her eyes and down her cheekbones, but she knew it wouldn’t be perfect. Alec would see. And Alec would  _ feel _ , anyway. She liked to think he knew her enough. She liked to think he would understand and comfort her. She walked even faster, almost breaking into a trot. 

  
  


_ Rose coughs, the smoke stuck half-way through her throat between her giggle at his lame pun and her exhale, and her eyes water a little. But it’s fine. She’s having a great time, and while she wishes Alec was here to share it with her, Leon is funny and kind enough to make time fly. They’ve been talking and joking for more than two hours and she knows the rest of the night will go just as quickly. They’re almost done with their cigarette, ready to go back inside and finish their drink before ordering new ones. _

 

_ Her cigarette stub falls from her fingers into a small puddle of rain, a sizzling sound as the ashes meet the water. A sound she would have heard if it wasn’t for her heart hammering against her ribcage, for her ears ringing, for her quick, laboured breath. For her scream. Her back is pressed against the wall, so hard it hurts, her fingers scraping against it as if they’re trying to to pull her body through the layers of bricks.  _

 

_ The bright red motorcycle roars once more, its front tire so close to her legs she can feel its heat. The eyes she can’t take off the monster that sped towards her and stopped with a deafening screech of its brakes fill up with tears and she fights to keep them in. It’s a fight she’s bound to lose and she knows it. _

 

_ “What the fuck, Andre, why would you do that?” Leon barks - Rose might have told him she isn’t much into motorized vehicles and he understands why she’s suddenly horrified. _

_ “Sorry,” the man who’s sitting on his bike shrugs as he takes off his helmet. “Just like the thrill of it. Always this second of tension, am I gonna stop on time? So  _ bueno _.” _

_ “Stupid wanker. Rose, are you alright?” _

 

_ Rose manages to relax just enough to let go of the wall and, after she swallows the bile that’s risen in her throat, she says yes, thanks Leon for the evening spent together and pretends she has to go. He doesn’t try to stop her. He understands. At least she thinks he does, even if just a little. _

  
  
  


Rose didn’t even bother to take a deep breath before she pushed the door open - just the sight of him, anxiously pacing between the sofa and the table, hand ruffling his hair, was enough to feel renewed tears fall from her eyes and sobs claw through her lungs. No use to take a breath that would only fuel her cries.

 

Alec spun around on his feet when he heard the soft click of the door and, as soon as he noticed the black smears around he eyes, her wet cheeks, her shivers, he strode towards her and huddled her body against his chest. 

  
  


“Rose, what happened? Is it Leon? What’s he done to you?”

  
  


He tried hard not to let his anger coat his words, but he failed miserably. He shouldn’t have believed her bloody text. He should have known something was off.

  
  


“It’s… It’s not Leon,” Rose choked, letting him take her to the sofa where they sat, before he gathered her trembling frame in his arms. “There was this… This… It’s stupid, okay? I’m stupid, I’m just  _ so  _ stupid.”

“Sweetheart, you are not stupid,” Alec said with as much softness as he could muster. “Please, just tell me what happened.”

“We… We went for a fag outside and out of nowhere this giant bike almost crashed into me,” she started to explain, words a little chopped because of her sobs. “It just… It went so fast, and I… I just… I saw it all happen again, it was… He just wanted to show off, but… I got scared. I got so scared, Alec.”

“Who?” he growled, bringing a hand to her cheek to nestle her head harder against his shoulder. “Tell me who, I’ll find him.”

“I don’t… I can’t remember, and it doesn’t even matter, I just… Please, Alec, I just need…”

“What do you need, sweetheart?”

“You… Just you… And maybe a cuppa.”

“Okay,” he nodded before he pressed a kiss to her temple, knowing it wouldn’t be prudent to press her buttons too hard “Be back in a tick, love.”

  
  


Alec gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and hurried to the kitchen to turn the kettle on. From the door, he watched with a frown as she took a vial of medication from her bag and set two bright red pills on the coffee table, along with two white ones. It worried him to no end that despite the therapy she had went through, she still needed this to tame her anxiety. He wished he could do more for her, more than simply being a pillow she could hold on to and an ear that would listen. He wanted to be more than that. He wanted to help her and he didn’t know how. It wasn’t like anyone had managed to fix his own anxiety and emotional trauma. It wasn’t like he had ever managed to completely get over that shite part of his life. And then he realized that Rose, just Rose, had already helped him more than anyone ever did, even if she wasn’t even trying. Maybe, just maybe, he could help her, too. In his own way.

 

His tea ready, he went back to her and put the steaming cup down on the table along with a glass of water, plopping down next to her. He rolled an arm around her shoulders and made no comment whatsoever when she offered a sheepish shrug and stuffed the pills in her mouth to swallow them with a large gulp of water. She toed her shoes off and gathered her legs under her, snuggling close to his side, her hand finding his again.

  
  


“Sorry I’m a mess,” she whispered softly, sighing in his neck when his lips lingered on her forehead. “You didn’t ask for this.”

“Rose, you’re not a mess,” Alec was quick to reassure her, rubbing delicate circles on her arm. “And I asked for you. All of you.”

“I just… Can’t help feeling like this is just commiseration.  _ Pity _ .”

“Don’t go that way, Rose, never go that way. If you doubt me, I’m gonna have to doubt you, and I don’t want that to happen. I see Rose, the woman, not Rose, the victim. I want you to see me as Alec, the man, not Alec, the detective that helped you. I want a stable relationship, not a fling that stands on  _ you saved me so I think I like you _ .”

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, you know,” she admitted in a breath. “That I might like you just ‘cause you saved me.”

“And?” Alec managed to ask, suddenly very tensed.

“I realized I only started to really like you when we properly met two days ago. What I said was true. I just wanted to thank the detective. I ended up falling for Alec. I see Alec. And Rose likes Alec.”

“Good. Because Alec likes Rose. And Alec wants to help Rose get better.”

“That third person conversation is getting really awkward,” she giggled softly. “But thank you, Alec. I’m so glad I met you. You’re amazing. You really are.”

“You’re amazing, too, sweetheart. Congrats on sticking up with me for two days straight.”

“Is there a competition about who will make the other run away first?”

“If there is, I’ll win hands down, just so you know.”

“You wish. Now shush and hug me better.”

  
  


And so Alec did. Until she kissed the side of his neck, trailed her lips down to the nook between his clavicles and complimented him on his choice of jumper.

 

* * *

 


End file.
